Designed For War But Not Meant For It (Itachi Story)
by goddamndamndamn
Summary: Kinda does what it says on the tin. Itachi story. I don't own anything to do with Naruto; it's all Kishimoto, I'm afraid. But yeah. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Most kid's first memories are of playing with their parents; spending time with family.

Kiken's, however, was a lot different from that.

She didn't even know how old she was when looking back on her first memory; it didn't seem like she was a baby. Even retrospectively she had felt older; more mature than anyone else around her regardless of their age. There had been no words on her part; just like the majority of her life, she had sat in silence, waiting only until someone spoke to her before she allowed herself to open her mouth and reply. But sometimes she didn't speak then; most of what was said to her were orders; statements. They weren't open for discussion, and therefore Kiken never tried to make it otherwise.

It had been dark outside; but the room she had been sitting in was perfectly light, and well decorated; a mansion of some kind. Owned by the ruling force in the village, Kiken had been living there. How long, she hadn't known back then, and didn't know now...but she'd been living there. Guards had been situated around the room, but hadn't been focusing on her. Her obedience was something that had always creeped them out slightly; she had never made a word of protest against anything; merely like she was walking through a dream. Sometimes when they had looked in her eyes...there was nothing there. Just staring straight through. That night, however, their attention had been on the man standing on the balcony outside the room. The area below had been cleared and filled with light in order for the crowd to form and stand beneath, looking up in awe at their leader about to give a speech.

From the beginning it had been something Kiken had disliked; it had been about war.

Seifu had been certain they were going to win the war. The battles would be short and sweet, anyone coming up against them finding themselves dead or forced into submission within seconds. It had been a war between two villages; the biggest and most powerful villages in the Hoshi valley, which contained five villages over all. There had always been a frosty atmosphere around the relationship the two villages shared, and especially as whoever had the most power could rule the whole valley. It had been an eternal struggle, no one truly being able to get the upper hand.

Until Kiken came along.

_She _was the reason why Seifu had felt so certain the war would turn in his favour, and then he had told it to the entire village; practically broadcasting her as a threat to the other village. The sullen mood Kiken had woken up with didn't brighten with this knowledge. But she hadn't done anything about it. Right from the moment her eyes had opened that morning she had sensed something was up. She knew she would be revealed to the world, and the only words floating through her head were ones that had echoed through her mind all night, over and over...

_The war has begun._

Friendships had been a slight taboo with Kiken's childhood; she had found the time to go out and talk to the other children, but there had always been something that had stopped any connections truly being made. The ninjas had always managed to spot her, no matter where she was; dragging her back to the compound in order to make her train some more. If it wasn't that, there was someone she needed to kill; find out information from or torture in whatever way Seifu wanted. Kiken never chose to do so; it was entirely forced upon her, and the part of her mind that was still a child; that had been and still was always confused and unsure...it meant she had felt too tumultuous and too trapped inside her own life to have thought about trying to break free.

Naturally, rumours then came about—or just the true stories of what Kiken had done—and the children quickly became wary of her; scared of the power she held inside of her. If not, then their parents had been the ones to take them away from her; not to mention Seifu hadn't wanted her hurt or '_corrupted'_—as he liked to put it—in any way, sending out the ninjas to make sure she had been doing what she was supposed to. In the end, her training was about the only thing she actually _did_ have left in the world.

After a while and Kiken's opinion had changed; soon she had started to believe that the wars were because of her; that if she hadn't of been around; none of the killing would have started in the first place. After all, it had been her power that they had thought would give them the advantage. As she grew up, Kiken too grew to hate violence and fighting. But she never had a choice in the matter. It became more than her job; it was her life—her purpose. All that she had lived for and all that she had felt she could do.

It hadn't taken long for her to realise what had happened; what she was. She had been created to fight; from her memories she had never been certain whether she had been born at all. Kiken was a weapon to Seifu and everybody else around her. Soon the fights had become _over_ her; she'd been sitting in burnt and bloody battlefields, men all around her, each wanting her to be their kept weapon. Because if one single man in either army had gotten control of her—they'd automatically have become the leader, having all the power and everyone at their command. Teammates had turned on each other at the idea of having that power; people who had once been the best of friends turning into mortal enemies overcome by greed and lust for power. No one was to be trusted in this war anymore; not when any person you met could betray you.

But even _that_ Kiken could have handled...if it wasn't for what had happened next.

It had been another battle; for Kiken, one that could have been like any other. But immediately she had known something was worse; more severe than all of the other battles she had fought. It became a tug of war over her, one person grabbing her at first, only for her to be sitting on the opposite side of the battlefield a moment later. Looking left and right, she remembered having contemplated what to do; considering running; only to realise that she hadn't got anywhere else to go. That it was her life, and that she had no way out of it.

Turning away for a second, things had happened so quickly that when Kiken had looked back, it was all over. One man was left standing, and swallowing hard as he had come over to her, Kiken had gathered he was her new...the word 'owner' automatically flickered through her mind as she had seen the look in his eyes. Treatment towards her had differed from person to person; some had tried to treat her relatively well so she wouldn't try and run away, and others had tried to scare her into feeling she wasn't able to leave. Regardless of what method they tried towards, her, she never ran; for her own reasons, not theirs. She had never attempted to hurt any of them.

She still hadn't meant to when he finally reached her. But nothing she had been expecting happened; her mood had been bad all day, the war reaching a peak in blood and violence, and teammates had begun fighting over her—that was always something Kiken had hated. Then he had kept on walking towards her; and he hadn't stopped. He hadn't said anything either; merely waiting until he had been right up close to Kiken before reaching forward and beginning to touch her. True, people hugging her, putting an arm round her shoulder and telling her things would be alright had never happened, but even she had known that that kind of touching...it hadn't been right. It had been hurting her; she had only been twelve or thirteen, and she hadn't understood.

Pure, unadulterated fear had begun to rise up within her, and something that had never happened before; she had been overwhelmed with emotion. She had been afraid of him touching her; afraid of what would happen next as her life had always been so unpredictable. But there was sadness too; at the realisation that all she was good for was fighting—no one cared about her personality; her opinion. It was all about her abilities; and now, it seemed, her looks as well. It remained the clearest memory Kiken had of when she had been a child; a thought that rang out like a bell through her mind.

Is that all she'd ever be? Would she ever have a life for herself?

An abrupt bout of screaming had woken her up from her trance, and the battlefield had come back to her. She had heard the screams of other ninja; seen the blood staining the floor from so much fighting and war. Suddenly it had been all that filled her mind; all her life she had sat in silence, letting things go on without trying to change them. But with all that had gone on tonight, she couldn't take it anymore; her mind had been tipped over the edge, and she had just...snapped.

When it was all over, Kiken had done what she had always been taught to do; pick herself up, make sure she was alright, and carry on. What else could she have done? She had had nothing left; just memories. It had been those memories that had caused her to pause on the edge of the battlefield; to turn back and do one last thing. Willing her chakra into life, she had placed a jutsu on the land; returning it to forests and flowers. The atmosphere of death and blood would never fade; but at least most people wouldn't notice it. She would; no matter where she went or what she did...she'd notice it; feel it. It would always remain a scar on her mind.

Then she had turned and left, disappearing into the forest.

She wasn't ever coming back.


	2. Chapter 2

Years passed, and Kiken moved on...well, as best she could.

The memories always remained—along with the nightmares because of them—and the doubts and insecurities that had surfaced during that time. Sometimes, if she passed close enough to the Hoshi valley, she began seeing the spirits of people she had known; ghosts wandering around, haunting her, and her alone. It couldn't really be a surprise to her, after everything that had happened, and after a while it became something she grew used to—a normality in a world full of regrets and mistakes.

She travelled, still acting as a ninja; with all that had happened in her childhood, she considered it to be the only thing she was actually _good_ at. Just like always, people were astounded when they saw Kiken's power when it came out in one way or another, but she always tried to fight as little as possible, and even then using the least amount of power necessary. If she had no choice, she would fight, but her methods were different to most—well, missing nins—out there. When Kiken attacked, it was with clean cuts and direct hits; nothing that would make her opponent suffer, regardless of what they had done. It just wasn't in her to do otherwise.

In a perfect world, she would have liked to have joined a ninja village. Using her abilities, but never in a way that others before her had tried to make her do. But the ninja villages had had their own wars; and what had they done? They had sealed tailed beasts into the bodies of children, forcing them to live with it their entire lives in order to increase the military power of their village. Peace mainly reined now, but things were never going to be fully stable—if they were, ninjas would no longer be needed! If anything happened that meant fighting might break out, the possibility that Kiken would turn into what she had been in the past was still there, and she wasn't about to risk it.

Her mind couldn't take anymore.

Not to mention how she would be treated. In order to gain a home, a job and a _life_ in a ninja village, she would have to tell someone about her life; or at least some of it. Her powers would soon come out through missions, and then it would spread like wildfire throughout the village. The Jinchuuriki themselves had a bad enough time dealing with mistrust from villagers—what would they be like if they knew the kind of power she had inside of her; and that it was much more on the surface than it was with any Jinchuuriki? They'd merely see her as a vicious killer, so there was no chance of Kiken ever getting into a ninja village. She was a missing-nin now, and she just had to accept that fact.

So she travelled onwards, always alone, wandering from place to place and taking jobs where she could. When asked questions about her abilities from anyone who wanted to hire her, Kiken mostly said her strengths lied in stealth; information gathering. That way when they gave her missions, it was most likely to be something that would allow her to stay secret and out of the way. All she had to do was sneak through the defences of an enemies stronghold, gather whatever information was needed, whether by listening to conversations or stealing scrolls, then get out the same way she had gotten in; silently and with no one knowing she was there; no fighting involved.

Of course, things didn't always go so smoothly; and a large portion of her jobs were still plain fighting, even if she _did_ say her strengths lied in stealth. She couldn't exactly blame them, though; there was only so much information gathering that was needed; once it was obtained, then what else was there left apart from confronting and attacking the enemy? Sometimes she contemplated just saying no; making some excuse or just saying she didn't want to fight and backing out of it all. But she was still a human; still needed nourishment through food and drink, sleep, and clothes and weapons if they needed repairing or replacing. That meant money in order to get it, and money didn't automatically appear every time Kiken fought someone; she couldn't just walk in and ask for what she wanted, and then walk out without paying.

That's the way it had been in Hoshi valley.

But things weren't like that anymore.

Kiken had no choice but to work for her money, and regardless of whether she actually _liked_ doing it or not, it had to be done in order for her to live. Though sometimes it felt like she was being forced into fighting like it had been during the war; the thought past quickly. There was more freedom of choice this time around; if she truly didn't want to do it, she could travel on and find work somewhere else. There was no one standing next to her, egging her on and telling her she _had_ to do it. She was no longer a child—but then; it never really felt like she had been one. Everything had changed, and she had to adapt with the times.

The war itself, and the stories that came with, had faded over the years. It hadn't been that long, true, but everyone knew the horrors that had taken place there; the blood that had been spilt and the lives lost...and everyone wanted it forgotten. With how the battlefield had disappeared—courtesy of Kiken—it made things easier, the villagers turning to things like repairing what was broken and replacing whatever had been lost. The anxiety of impending battles had disappeared, and as the villages began to return to normal, so did the villagers lives.

It wasn't spoken of often; if at all. A blank space was left in the history of Hoshi valley for the children, and although if somehow there was a mention of the war, and a child asked a question, only the basics were stated. There had been a war. It had been horrible and many men and women had died during that time—so don't talk about it again. The next generation of villagers came and led their lives without knowledge of the war. Until those who had lived through it were gone, there would always be a faint mark over the valley. But they had all done a good job in hiding it from the younger ones; from the very world itself.

But Kiken wasn't actually known about much in the valley; if asked, the villagers wouldn't have been able to pinpoint her position in the war, whether what side she had been on or what she had done to fight in the first place. Even when the war had been going on she had been kept to herself and hidden from view; the villagers had known there was a secret weapon Seifu had that would help them win, but there had never truly been details of what it was. During the very rare times that Kiken was spotted or tried talking to the villagers, they were told she was a powerful ninja, but not how valuable she was. Some didn't even know the 'weapon' had been a person in the first place. They knew there had been a great power; a power that had turned the tide of the battle and that both sides had wanted greatly. Even the curiosity as to what it had been had dissipated like the wind, leaving many outside the valley to not have a clue as to what had happened.

She had turned into legend.

And no one even knew who she was—only her power.

That didn't stop the Akatsuki from wanting it, however.


	3. Chapter 3

To begin with, the Akatsuki had seen it like a lot of people outside of the Hoshi valley; as a legend, and nothing more—even if the power would have been something they really would have liked to have had. They'd heard a vague story of it much farther afield from Hoshi valley; little details from people who'd been to one of the villages and overheard someone talking about it. But it wasn't until Pein passed nearby the valley that he finally discovered there was a lot more to the story than he first thought.

Namely, that it was _real_.

When he had stopped to get something to eat and drink, there had been a conversation between a child and his father; and he had asked about the war that had taken place. Pein hadn't taken much notice; he knew about the war, and that it was a bit of a taboo subject in the valley, considering how much damage had been done. Outside, and to people who didn't originally come from the valley, however, and it wasn't as bad a topic to talk about. So the father spoke of what he knew; of how it had all begun because Seifu wanted to rule over the whole valley, and so did the other village. Then, naturally, he had told of the power that had been fought over; how anyone and everyone wanted control of it, and whoever had _had_ control over it had gained the upper hand in the war.

"Of course, the power was just to scare people—it wasn't really how it seem—"

"It was real; true, no one's alive to tell the full story…but it was real." A sudden voice spoke up from the other side of the room, and Pein couldn't help but listen in, abruptly interested in how this was now going. Before he hadn't passed a thought to it, knowing it was a story, and nothing more. But the idea that it might actually be real...that the _power_ might actually exist...he couldn't think of anything else.

The man who had spoken up revealed his father had fought in the war, but had been pulled out a few days before it ended because of severe injuries. He had spent so long in a coma that by the time he had woken up, it had all been over. The circumstances of the war had been strange—even he himself knew that—and his father revealed that it was because of this power. Just like most people, he didn't know what form this power took, but gathered it was some kind of scroll with the knowledge of the power inside of it; or a weapon that contained the power within.

For Pein, it didn't matter. He listened in on the rest of the conversation, absorbing all useful information that he could utilize later on, and then spent the rest of his time there thinking. The exact location of the power was unknown; the exact _form_ of the power was unknown, but there were only so many forms it could take. If he could find this guy's father; talk to him and discover any more information about the power—where it might be now, for instance—then the chance to increase the Akatsuki's arsenal might just be in front of him. The nature of this power in the stories he'd heard had almost been stupid to him—like it wasn't possible in the real world. A mere fantasy made to ease the wound the war had left on the valley.

He knew enough about trying to do that.

But now...now he knew better. Know he knew that the power he had thought was the creation of exaggerated and emphasised abilities heard of through rumours from the ninja villages was true. A power that would be limitless and destructive. With who they were and what their goal was, the Akatsuki could never _not_ be without power; and with most people considering it a legend, what competition would there be to go after it? Pein couldn't help but smirk to himself slightly at that. It was perfect. The only thing that stopped him from doing anything else was the doubt that abruptly flickered into his mind. If he had known better, it might have been too good to be true. So finishing his drink, he stood and headed over to the man who had spoken.

He needed to know _everything_.

A little while later and he headed back to the hideout, straight through to where he knew Konan was, and told her the plan. She herself had been unsure of it all, taking the fact it had been a legend mere minutes ago into account, but the look in Pein's eyes said it all. It was true. And he was going after it. Whether he had to scour the battlefield with a hairnet to find what he was looking for, he'd do it.

Because the more he found out about it; the more he realised how valuable it was.

The next day and their original plan had altered; they instead looked for all the other members; contacting them to meet together as close as they could. Luckily enough, it didn't take as long as they had all thought, though Pein was beginning to get impatient—but he knew he needed them. It was going to be hard enough finding it with all of them there, let alone if he had been doing so _alone_. So he forced himself to be calm, smirking triumphantly as the last of the organization assembled themselves in front of him, and taking up a stance in front of them all, he relayed the same thing he had told Konan.

Immediately they had headed to Hoshi valley, sticking to the villages to begin with. True, they could have just found out where the battlefield was and started off straight away, but if there was anything to hinder their search, Pein wanted to know it. Most villages away from the valley still thought of it as legend; a mindset that was instantly lost the moment you got into the outskirts of the area, inside the villages nearest to the valley border. All of them pointed out the power was real, but apart from giving more details about the war, no more information was given about the power.

So they continued on, passing right into the heart of the valley and into the village where Pein knew the man's father lived. Asking around there, and immediately they hit the jackpot, as the man revealed that the power still existed; and no doubt could still be obtained now, even after all that had happened. So a succession of quick questions followed on after that; who could they go to;_ talk_ to, in order to find out whether it was a scroll or a weapon; or more importantly, where the power might just be?

After that, things didn't go quite as smoothly.

It was only then that they were told that there was only one person who had fought in the war that day and had survived; only she knew would know where the power might be and how they would be able to get it: Kiken. That fact in itself wasn't something many villagers liked to speak about; with all the violence that had appeared during the war, the idea that she was the last one standing didn't help them feel any better. In fact, the man they were talking to was about the only one who didn't share the same view—he had seen some horrible stuff back then, and he wasn't about to treat someone who had been there all the way through like the rest of the villagers; luckily enough for the Akatsuki.

There was just one problem with this streak of luck—she didn't live in the valley anymore. Not only that, but she travelled a lot, just like they did. Pinpointing her was going to be a little more difficult now, and for some—*ahem* Hidan—it meant more effort. Itachi didn't really feel the same way. From what he had heard about the war, it had been a terrible and bloody one, and the idea of wanting to get away from the place after being the only one who survived the entire thing...it seemed like a perfectly feasible idea, and one he would no doubt he would have carried out as well.

So when Pein stated they were going to find her first...

Itachi had no protestations in the slightest.


	4. Chapter 4

They took the vague coordinates the man gave them in the village, and set off immediately.

Jashin knows, they needed to.

She travelled; who knows how long ago she had been staying in the village he'd said? Work could be found in all kinds of places, and to have been the only survivor meant she had to be a powerful ninja—so she would be able to get work almost anywhere. Not being in a ninja village, either, meant that she'd leave less tracks behind her, and would find it easier to disappear into the shadows, avoiding everyone. All in all, that meant they needed the quickest start they could get in order to reach her. Having to search for the power would be a long process anyway, so everything else needed to be shortened as much as possible.

Itachi almost felt...sorry for her, in a way. Obviously she had left Hoshi valley to get away from it all, and now they were chasing after her to bring her back to a place that would most likely only bring up bad memories and experiences. He just hoped Pein would allow her to choose whether to come willingly or not—and not have to act as forcefully as he had had to do with Deidara. They all knew how _that_ had turned out. And yet still, it gave him the chance to meet her. Suspicions arose within him at the idea that he might just be able to understand what she had gone through. Talking about it would be difficult for both of them, but he'd know it was there.

So he let himself continue in silence.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the village with the pace Pein had set, and taking a break for a moment, they then began to ask around as to whether they had met her. Fortunately enough, a lot of people did; and were more than happy to talk about her; and in a way that none but Itachi had been expecting. They spoke of how she helped out around town; was polite and respectful to all she came across. They knew she was a ninja, and knew she was powerful, but it didn't make a difference. She was always as kind as she could be to those around her, and tried to make a difference where she could. For a moment it caused a hesitation in the Akatsuki; the idea that a woman who had had to have shown some amazing abilities in order for her to have survived back in Hoshi valley, along with a strong desire for survival and a fighting spirit could be the way these people were describing...it bewildered them slightly.

But a few moments later and it was dismissed. What did it matter? She knew more about the power they were looking for out there than anyone. Regardless of her personality, they needed to talk to her, and would do so. Receiving directions from a few of the villagers, they soon continued their journey, the atmosphere around them relaxing slightly as the villagers pointed out she hadn't been there that long ago; instantly recognizing her name. They were catching up; they knew it, and—much to Hidan's annoyance—the pace only increased in order to reach her.

Which they did a couple of days later, arriving at the next village mid-morning. Grabbing a quick drink as a break, they wandered down the street, wondering who exactly to ask about Kiken first. No one was in much of a hurry, anyway, so the Akatsuki took their time in choosing a target—of sorts—until eventually Pein decided on someone nearby, and walking over, gently addressing him in order to get his attention. But everyone instantly began to pay attention, as instead of informing them where she had headed off to, he glanced behind them all and pointed in another direction, causing them all to turn and look, as Itachi breathed softly,

"Kiken..."

They didn't know what they had been expecting her to look like, but it still surprised every single one of them. She had just come out of a nearby building, smirking at whoever was inside as she closed the door, before turning to face the crowd in front of her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. It went to about mid-torso length, shimmering down her back even with how dark it was. But that wasn't the unusual part; it was how it couldn't disguise her eyes, almost hidden behind her bangs...and yet they were darker than her hair. Her sclera, iris and pupil had merged into one, and were entirely black; making it impossible to discern where she was looking from a distance.

However, it didn't make Kiken seem threatening; there was something about her that appeared apart..._above_ that kind of thing. She didn't seem to concentrate on the superficial things in life, somehow seeing the higher meaning of everything; maybe it was the way her eyes were; Itachi couldn't tell. But her face was placid and pure, her body perfectly in proportion with everything about her. Though something else about her caught and held Itachi's attention more than her overall appearance; not even hearing the low whistle of appreciation that came from one of the others.

It was the look in her eyes. The suspicions he'd been having on the journey; the strange thoughts that had extended into his dreams had only been confirmed upon seeing her; and he hadn't even spoken to her yet. He couldn't just dismiss it, though; he knew that look, and knew it well—a look that he carried himself, and would have been hard to spot otherwise. Would she see the same in him? Would she realise the connections they had? Itachi couldn't know; but there was always a way to find out, and he smothered a smirk as Pein began to make his way over to her, not about to fall into formalities after all that had gone on. There was work to be done; and he wanted it sorted out now. But his eyes passing over her once again, and he quickly changed his mind, appearing in front of Pein to say quietly, but firmly,

"Maybe we shouldn't just all approach her like this. Yes, she'll have to meet all of us sooner or later, but wouldn't it be better if we got her to come as willingly as possible?"

"That may be true...are you suggesting you talk to her first?" Pein halted, glancing down and back up again as he asked. Itachi could only narrow his eyes in surprise. He hadn't considered going up to her alone first—or at least not on the surface. Now the idea was there, however, and he couldn't help but warm up to the idea, saying nothing for the moment as Pein contemplated it himself.

What he had said was true, and out of everyone, Itachi would be the best choice, after all. Kakuzu was too grumpy and abrupt, Hidan having no respect for anyone but Jashin. Sasori was too impatient to wait for an answer, Kisame—well, he explained himself—and Deidara would most likely make a comment about her appearance sometime during the conversation. Even with Itachi's reputation he was able to deal with people well; he'd get her to stop and talk to him easily, and would explain things properly. His idea was good, and as such he nodded to Itachi, allowing him to continue.

Kiken had had no idea about what was going on; she'd seen the cloaks, but brushed it off. She gathered they were a group of missing-nins, and a powerful one at that. Something about them was different, but it was nothing to do with her; randomly walking up to them and asking questions was stupid and ridiculous; not to mention she had her own things to do in life. With one more passing thought to them all standing there, Kiken had brushed them off, walking off down the street to head elsewhere; only halting as a soft voice called her name from behind, and she turned back round to see who it was.

_That_ was why she had felt there was something different.


	5. Chapter 5

Kiken picked out the Sharingan right away, narrowing her eyes in recognition of who the man was.

Itachi Uchiha.

There might have been more preconceptions about him, but they dissipated from her mind within seconds, something about him making her think they were immediately _mis_conceptions. He was classically handsome; strong, dark and mysterious about it, but from how he held himself and the way he had approached her, she knew it was never something he had considered important. However, with the power Kiken knew was inside of him, the high level of his abilities that were known worldwide to so many, she didn't doubt that he had much bigger things to think about.

Though as she met his gaze, they weren't the kind of things she might have thought before.

The omniscience of his stare almost appeared as if he would pass judgement on everyone, but close up, Kiken saw it was utterly different. His eyes were so much more...not gentle, but...understanding. Like he could see straight into her soul and find out everything about her, comprehending of why she had done so without a trace of blame. Was he like this with everyone he met, she wondered, or was it only for her? Was it a connection shared with just them alone? Kiken had never had that sort of thing in her life before, and for a moment, it almost scared her. What would he be like towards her? There was only so much her opinion could do—the rest would be down to him. Should she mention what she felt; find out whether this connection was one way or not? But the memories of everyone being distant with her; not liking to have anything to do with her personality, she pushed it away, swallowing. Until he made the first move, she wasn't going to do a thing.

But gritting her teeth, tensing her muscles and clenching her fists slightly did nothing to halt the effect he had on her, especially as he nodded in greeting a flashed a small smirk in her direction; one that only she could see. He knew now that she felt it too, from the way she had acted, and became ever more intrigued by her. At first he had wondered what it would be like looking into her eyes when there was no pupil to concentrate on; but the fact there was nothing made no difference now; he could _feel_ her gaze focusing on him alone, enclosing them in a world of their own creation.

Then seeing her tense slightly a moment later, wariness taking over from before—or maybe because of it—Itachi quickly made sure to keep his distance, attempting to appear as polite and respectful as possible as he began quietly,

"Kiken-chan; it's a pleasure to meet you. My name's Itachi Uchiha."

"I know. I know who you are. Not coming from a ninja village can't disguise your reputation," she replied, a little hurriedly at first, but managing to smile softly towards the end, allowing Itachi himself to relax slightly.

"I don't doubt you already know I'm here with my organization—the Akatsuki. But I approached you; came to talk to you...because we need your help; something we'll pay you for if you accept."

Blinking in surprise, Kiken couldn't speak for a moment, unsure as to how to reply to that. Itachi Uchiha was an incredibly powerful ninja, and with something deeper inside of him that she had only just noticed. All in all, that meant the group he worked for had to be just as powerful—so why would they need her help, of all people? How did they even know her name in the first place? Each of these questions were ones that Itachi knew Kiken wanted answers to, and as such he continued, not wanting her to turn away before he had fully explained everything,

"We're looking for something. Something that was lost quite a few years ago—during the war; in Hoshi valley."

Instantaneously Kiken froze, every muscle in her body ready to act, cursing mentally at this new information. Not only did she hate thinking about the war to begin with, having promised herself she would never go back there; but there was what they were looking for to be taken into account. Sure, he had said it was 'something that had been lost', but a lot of things had been lost during the war—so what exactly was it that they were after? Her power itself had been lost during the war, and if it was her they were looking for...she didn't care how powerful Itachi was, she was going to run; and wouldn't look back.

"We're not entirely sure what it is ourselves...it's most likely a scroll of some kind, able to grant immense power to whoever has it. As far as we know, it should still be in the battlefield; or at least the area of the Hoshi valley." Itachi added, narrowing his eyes at her reaction, his mind already ticking over reasons why.

Something Kiken didn't notice in the slightest, concentrating only on forcing herself not to sigh deeply and laugh in relief. Because that's what it was; pure relief at the idea it wasn't her they were after; it was something else entirely. The idea that she was still as afraid of being used as a weapon now as she had been at the start was something she pushed away from her mind. She couldn't think about it now—she didn't _want_ to think about it now. Itachi was standing in front of her, wanting a response, and that's what she had to focus on.

But with the idea that they weren't coming after her, Kiken felt a lot more comfortable with talking about it all, and taking a breath, she finally returned Itachi's gaze calmly, and narrowing her eyes with thought, she considered all that she had seen and heard in the war, and eventually replied,

"I don't remember a specific scroll...but then again, lots of people were trying to come up with a large amount of power during the war, so..."

"I hate to push this whole idea on you, Kiken-chan; you have lots of other things in your life. Dealing with the past isn't going to be easy either...but are you willing to help us?"

Smirking slightly at how polite Itachi was being, the smirk turned softer at the recollection of his words. Though it was unusual that he understood what kind of things she was feeling, it somehow didn't seem strange. His entire being went against what was known about him; but was exactly how he appeared on the outside; if you truly looked at him. It was a thought shared by Itachi himself, after having heard all these different things about her from those in Hoshi valley, as well as on the journey to find her, only to find out the truth as he finally met her in person.

It was why he noticed a slight reluctance remaining within her when no one else did. She had relaxed after hearing the full story of what he had to say, but there was still something lingering within her. An assessment that was utterly true; though Kiken felt an almost _innate_ need to trust Itachi, she was nervous. There were so many things to think about; going back to Hoshi valley; going back to the battlefield altogether; one of the others finding out about her story, or just everything generally going wrong. After what she had done...

They weren't after her power though; and not many people truly knew about what had happened that day. Looking at Itachi's eyes once again she knew he wasn't lying; he was being genuinely honest, something that didn't come about often, and if there were queries or doubts in her mind, then surely _he_ could help? Whatever it was within him, it just felt to Kiken as if there wasn't anything he didn't know, and smothering a smirk from popping up on her face, she glanced down and back up again, Pein knowing he had made the right choice as she said softly with a nod,

"Alright. I'll help you, Itachi-sama."


	6. Chapter 6

With that, Itachi pointed out Kiken would have to meet the rest of the Akatsuki, and nodding in agreement, she glanced around him to find out where they had gone, spotting them within a few seconds. Pein hadn't exactly been trying to hide incredibly well, but he had figured that getting out of the way had been best. Even sending in Itachi first with the rest of them loitering a few metres away was stupid, and so he—and the rest of the Akatsuki—had disappeared; or for the moment, at least. So to see Kiken pick them out so quickly, eyes passing over each of them in a way that made Pein suspect she already knew a lot about them by the time they were standing in front of her...

He couldn't help but not be surprised at the idea of her being the only survivor.

Hidan pushed past them all first, wanting to get his introduction done before anybody else did, only to find Pein stopping him; just like always, to tell him that it was best to get out of the street and to continue the conversation somewhere more private. Glancing once over to Kiken he saw she made no protestations to that idea in the slightest, merely bowing in respect upon meeting him. Blinking slightly at her actions, Pein shrugged it off for now, gesturing the direction of where they were headed and walking off first, the others following straight afterwards.

Instantly Itachi appeared next to her, acting as a barrier against the others all wanting to meet her, and Kiken couldn't help but feel a slight warmth coming to her face at the idea of him protecting her. Itachi noticed none of this, however, too focused on wondering why she had bowed like she had. It hadn't been a small nod of respect, but a full-on bow that would have been better placed in a meeting between a servant and their master. She had every right to be the opposite of this, and though Itachi had known from the start she was polite—there was a difference.

But he didn't know her full story, of course, and merely knocked himself out of it, glancing up to consider her reluctance to accept the mission, but then simply allowing it to be a thought of another day. He didn't want her to feel cornered or pressured into anything, and automatically felt himself attempting to help her; to protect her. Why, he wasn't sure, but it didn't matter, even when he noticed himself doing it. He knew keeping Kiken safe was something he wanted more than the rest of the Akatsuki, and he wouldn't alter that to adapt to the others opinions. As such he kept an eye on her as they walked; his mind unable to _always_ stay on task.

And then eventually they reached the hideout.

Leading her inside, Pein decided to go to the lounge for the moment; she had practically accepted—something he wouldn't let her get out of now—and it made more sense to make her feel more comfortable. It gave the others space to sit, too, instead of them all standing in front of her, eyeing her over critically; or in some cases, perversely. Therefore a minute later and he was standing alone in front of her while the others took seats—raising a slight eyebrow as Itachi was the only one who broke that mould, leaning against the wall near her, acting as if he was her back up.

Though it didn't faze him for long, and soon he began to speak, going over the whole plan once again, setting out the different things she was going to be doing, and how much she would be paid at the end of the mission. For the most part Kiken stayed in silence, thinking over all they were expecting of her and what she would have to do. That nervousness of what would await her when she got back to Hoshi valley was still lingering in her mind, but she had agreed to it now; and she didn't go back on her word.

With that, Pein left; and now the others felt it okay to finally approach Kiken, the introductions beginning. Itachi made no attempt to move away, his eyes fixated on each of the Akatsuki as they walked up to her and made their introduction. That urge to protect her hadn't faded now they were here, and as such he wasn't going anywhere. Though things for Kiken seemed to lighten at that moment; though everyone had their faults, the Akatsuki seemed pretty easy to get along with, and at least _that_ was one weight off of her mind. At least now she didn't have to worry about getting into arguments with everybody and ruining the travelling part of the mission—if it made any difference at all.

But she was going to be staying in the hideout tonight, in the spare room; Pein wanted an early start, and it would be easier to have her right there in the hideout than to have to pick her up when they left, so he sent her back to her house to get her stuff with Itachi. She was a little unsure about being with him alone, it was true, but with how calming his presence was, they both fell into a companionable silence as she showed him the way back to her house. There wasn't much for her to get from her house, anyway; she didn't really have many possessions—with all her travelling, there was no sense to be carrying around a lot of stuff—so they wouldn't be there long.

Holding the door open to allow Itachi through, Kiken continued on down the hallway and into her room, collecting the rest of her weapons. Itachi's footsteps echoed out as he followed, but they stopped as he reached the doorway, and looking up, she saw he remained hovering there, ready to act but unsure how to do so. Pausing as he opened his mouth to say something, she smirked and shook her head, straightening for a moment to answer what she already knew he was going to say;

"Itachi-sama, it's okay. There's just a couple of things I need to get—you don't need to help me. I won't be long."

Nodding in agreement with her words, he relaxed slightly, and Kiken returned to picking up her weapons. Itachi noted how tidy everything was with a smirk; if it hadn't been for the weapons, he would have thought the building was empty—something others had said after seeing how he dealt with his own space. A sudden urge to start talking about the connection he knew was there arose within him, and he gritted his teeth in order to control it. They'd just met; coming out with something like that was stupid. But at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder whether there would be many chances for them to be alone together like this. What if they _did_ become friends, and he said nothing of it?

Now finished with her weapons, Kiken finally stood again, looking over at Itachi to confirm she was ready to go, only to freeze in surprise at what she saw. He was watching her, and from the way he was standing—it had been for a while. Somehow…she was of interest to him. His eyes were deeply focused on her, moving to look into her eyes as she shifted position. But they weren't looking at what was on the surface; they were clouded over with thought to the point where he didn't notice Kiken having moved. He was seeing something within her that went deeper than anything, and that feeling of connection came back. Even when he jolted slightly as Kiken pointed out they needed to leave, that same film remained over his eyes as they walked back, but she didn't care.

Suddenly the fact she was travelling to Hoshi valley seemed much less important. Visiting the battlefield—a place that held so many memories for her—seemed less important. They were things she could deal with; just like she'd dealt with everything else in her past. But after having met Itachi—it felt like it was to do with her _future_; something she had never really considered before. Everything had always been so unpredictable, there hadn't been any point thinking about it. But there was a connection to Itachi, and a feeling that he could understand, regardless of what she was or what she had done. He could know the way out of this rut she had gotten herself into.

And now it was Itachi that was the important thing in this mission.


	7. Chapter 7

The journey began the next morning, and Itachi still remained watching Kiken.

Not that it was one way; all night she had contemplated why he might have been watching her like that, and had opened the door before Kisame even had a chance to knock on it the next morning. They all had a quick breakfast, and after having to wait a moment while Hidan kicked up a fuss, Kakuzu starting to argue with him a couple of seconds in, Kiken jumped in and calmed them both down. Itachi smirked to himself at how easily she had done so, and then frowned slightly as she fell straight into the ranks as if she had done nothing, disregarding any help she had given.

It was at times like that that Itachi realised just how little he knew about her.

And just how much he wanted to find out.

The pace wasn't as quick as it had been when they had been looking for Kiken in the first place, true, but it was still pretty fast, though she made no complaints about that fact. She kept up with everyone, staying in silence for the most part. At least it allowed Itachi to observe her more easily. Her silence was a natural one; just like he did, Kiken kept to herself. But there was a difference with it that caught Itachi's attention. Sometimes when she glanced over at the others it seemed like she wanted to say something—but for whatever reason, she couldn't. Instead she only spoke when someone spoke to her directly, as if it was the Akatsuki who dictated when she could speak. Why she felt like that, he didn't know; but it concerned him slightly. Just because she was on a mission with them, didn't mean she had to be so polite.

Itachi contemplated pointing it out to her, but thinking over how he would say it, he realised there was nothing he could say that wouldn't appear rude and accusing towards her behaviour, and ultimately he remained quiet. He contented himself with moving closer towards Kiken, talking a little so she could get out what she wanted to say. At least that way he could learn more about her. Not that Kiken minded—her past training meant she felt she couldn't be the one to speak up first, and as Itachi was doing that for her...it was satisfying her own needs to get closer to Itachi. It wasn't until Deidara spoke up that their conversation ended, as he questioned casually,

"We heard you were the only survivor of the last day of the war, Kiken-chan, un. But how did you avoid getting killed when everyone else didn't, un?"

Kiken's muscles automatically tensed with this question. There was no way she would tell them all what she had done—it would be hard in a literal sense, to begin with. She knew if she tried, her throat would close up, she'd start stammering, and then as memories and flashbacks began to appear, she'd go completely silent, forgetting about what Deidara had asked her, and only creating more curiosity as to what had actually happened. She had to be careful about her response; say something that was truthful...but that didn't reveal the truth. She couldn't reveal how much it was affecting her either; then they would only start asking if she was alright, and it would cause even _more_ problems. Then suddenly it came to her, and Kiken knew how she could remain vague towards his question.

"I just...couldn't go on anymore, Deidara-sama. It got to be too much; but as the others went on—it meant I got left behind." She finally replied, Itachi frowning in concern and confusion at the robotic tone to her voice, and the way her eyes turned glassy, focusing on something in front of her that no one else could see.

But not even Hidan pushed her for any more details after this; the stories they had heard from people and the man living in Hoshi valley had given the picture of it being a terrible and horrifying war. Bringing back memories for Kiken wasn't something they wanted to do—it hadn't been long after meeting her, but she was easy to get along with. So they simply nodded, leaving it at that; but noticing that things had turned a little awkward with her words, Kiken quickly added,

"That's probably why I don't know too much about the scroll—or the power inside of it, for that matter."

It was at this point that Pein fully concentrated; he'd listened in when Deidara had asked the question, as he didn't want any of them to offend Kiken. He doubted she wanted to talk about it, so he kept an eye on the situation for the moment. But as she stated that, he fully looked over at her now, and began, as politely as he could,

"I can't tell you why we're after this scroll, Kiken-chan. I can't tell—"

But quickly she cut in, looking down as she realised she had interrupted him and hoping he didn't think she was really rude,

"No—it's not like that, Leader-sama. Sorry for interrupting you, but...I don't need to know what you're after; and in a way, I don't want to. You've hired me, and I will do my job; I won't ask questions. Just...please don't do the same to me."

For a moment Pein paused, but smirking a moment later, he nodded once in acceptance of that fact before turning back to face the path ahead. Kiken interrupting him didn't bother him; she was polite in every way, and she had just agreed to something he had wanted all along; not asking her questions would be easy. The others, too, shrugged at her request, and let it be; it was fair enough, considering they wouldn't want her to try and find out about their lives, and they forgot about it, letting it slip from their minds as they went on to other conversations and continuing on the journey.

It was only Itachi who felt otherwise. Clearly there was something deeper going on for her to react like she had; it wasn't like her to be so stand-offish. The way her eyes had become focused on something unseen by the rest of the world; he knew she wasn't telling the whole story. What she had said; it was merely the very basics, and it didn't take a genius to figure out there was so much more to tell. Of course, Itachi wasn't going to ask; he barely knew her, and she had just stated herself that she didn't want anyone asking questions about it. He might want to find out, but he couldn't just walk up and ask it.

But there was definitely something wrong. Something that she didn't even want to think about herself, and that affected her day to day life, regardless of where she was or what she was doing. A dark area of her past that marred her present, and that she could never get away from, not matter what she did. Itachi knew the feeling of being unable to escape the past, and wished there was something he could say that would convey that fact.

Kiken knew he was thinking it herself, and gritted her teeth, looking away from him, hoping that he would just let it pass. She had told herself all those years ago that she would never tell anyone, let alone to the people she was working for. Let alone to someone like _Itachi._ Because there was the chance he might know; he might figure out the true facts about her story, and then what would she do? But...what if he understood? What if he knew what it was like, and she could finally get it off her chest? Then a moment later she realised that it was merely a fantasy—she had her life, and he had his. She had no business interfering in his life.

However, abruptly she remembered what she had just said—she wanted no questions.

So now even if she _wanted_ to speak to him...she'd gone ahead and ruined it.


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't until they had to stop for the night in the nearest hideout that Kiken finally began to think otherwise.

All day it had remained the same; both Itachi and Kiken silent, watching each other out of the corners of their eyes until one of them noticed and they looked away quickly. The rest talked, conversing here and there, but too busy in their thoughts, Kiken and Itachi said nothing, needing time to think things through. The more she pushed Itachi away, the more she began to feel connected to him; that he could comprehend why she had done the things she had done. And yet no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to reel him back in; to explain things a little and try and make things a little less awkward between them. Then again, it wasn't surprising—all her life she hadn't exactly _had_ many full on social situations and knew nothing of how to react when it came down to herself; but she'd never needed those kind of skills. Now, however, it was coming back to bite her on the ass.

And she couldn't even ask someone to help.

Itachi himself kept his distance; contemplating just what he could do that would let him get closer to Kiken. He hovered on the sidelines of her life at the moment, looking for any break in her outer barrier that would allow him to get in. He wasn't expecting a sit down conversation where she told every little thing that was going on in her head, whether her life story, her opinions towards people and things, or her favourite food or colour. Just a little bit of information would be good enough for him; that she understood what it was like, that the connection he suspected was there really _was. _While they were travelling all in one big group, he couldn't attempt a thing—he needed to think clearly, and with the secrecy surrounding both his and Kiken's lives, revealing it all in front of the rest wasn't something he wanted to do. And he _knew_ Kiken had something big that had happened in her life. An event to do with death and violence. After all, who could spot something like that better than he himself could?

Then eventually the day came to a close, and fortunately enough, they were near enough to a hideout to stay there for the night; maybe even two to get a grip on all the information that Kiken would be able to give them. A decision that was made a few conversations with Pein later. If they spent another night in the hideout, though lengthening the journey to Hoshi valley itself, it would shorten the time they spent in the battlefield there—an idea that Kiken was more than happy to go along with. So Kiken spoke a while with Pein, before he finally let her go to head back to the others.

But she didn't feel like re-joining the ranks just yet; as she passed by the lounge where they were all sitting. Her dialogue with Pein had just confirmed the fact that she was heading to Hoshi valley—and the battlefield within. Though she wasn't about to go back on her word, that reminder still brought fear to her heart, and knowing the others would ask questions about what they had been talking about, and she would barely be able to answer them, she turned from the lounge and headed for the exit. She needed to clear her head, and a walk through the forest around the hideout seemed the best way to do so.

A fact that was proven as she stepped outside, taking a deep breath of the clear, calm, night air that relaxed her instantly. Smirking slightly to herself at this, Kiken then picked a direction, and quickly walked off. There was no destination, and, when it came down to it, no journey to begin with. But it gave her the chance to push away her doubts, and give her the inner strength to deal with the challenges that faced her. As such she closed her eyes, wandering through the trees slowly as she thought, only to freeze as she abruptly heard something, feeling something brush through the area close to her.

Opening her eyes instantly, Kiken halted in her anxiety as Itachi's serene visage appeared a few feet in front of her. Narrowing her eyes, she turned her memory back to earlier; when she had walked past the lounge and looked at everyone inside. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember Itachi being in there—though there was a doubt. Itachi was a master of stealth; for all Kiken knew he _had_ been in the room and had followed her after he had noticed her leave; the only one who had done so. In a way, it seemed like the kind of thing Itachi could—and possibly _would _—do.

Itachi's eyes were completely focused on Kiken's, hoping the intensity and omniscience of her eyes would force him into saying something; anything; just as long as he spoke to her. But as Kiken glanced down and back up again with that gaze of hers, Itachi knew it was hopeless. Even if he did manage to say something, what would it be? She had already said earlier that she didn't want to be asked questions, and most likely what came out of his mouth _would_ be a question. No—for the moment, at least—there was nothing he could do to start up a proper conversation, and as such, he merely nodded before continuing on the way he had been going, leaving Kiken alone.

She opened her mouth to try and call him back, feeling suddenly remorseful about all she had done; about her silence during their sudden meeting, and she wished he could come back. With all that she had been worrying about since she had spoken with Pein, she had needed something to comfort her; and with the hidden connection she knew she had between Itachi, there was something inside of her that suspected he would have been able to comfort her somehow. That he would have been able to make her feel alright again, and dispel any doubts that had earlier been in her mind.

But once again she had let him go.

Kiken spent a little while longer ambling through the trees, until eventually she opted to head back. She was working for another organization, after all, and for the moment, she wasn't being her own boss as she normally was. With how determined Pein seemed to get this scroll, she didn't doubt that if she went off for too long, Pein might think that she'd decided to disappear for good, and they'd been pretty nice to her so far. She'd given her word to work for them, and she couldn't just dismiss that fact; so she had to go back. She'd had her walk, anyway, and strangely, having bumped into Itachi, she felt better. What it was he had done, Kiken didn't know. But she was glad for it, and wished she could thank him.

Smirking to herself at how he hadn't even needed to speak and had helped her out anyway, Kiken shook her head at the thought, pausing for a second, before she shook it off and headed back the way she had came. If only she _could_ actually talk to Itachi—maybe that way all the doubts she had collected over the years could finally be accepted and destroyed. Itachi had his problems; Kiken could sense them. But he wasn't afraid like she was; he dealt with them so much easier than she did. She couldn't figure out how he did it, though. Even through watching him, Kiken had come up with nothing. But there had to be something there that allowed him to cope so well. Though with that thought, something instantly popped up into her mind as she arrived back at the hideout, passing through the door.

Maybe….he was just special.

The likes of which hadn't been seen in the world for so long, let alone in the Akatsuki.

It just seemed like she was the only one who could see it.


	9. Chapter 9

That incident wasn't the only time Kiken accidentally bumped into Itachi.

In fact, it happened twice more before anything actually happened between them both.

Pein had already stated that they were staying in the hideout one more day, and everyone was pretty much doing what they wanted. They weren't allowed to stray too far from the hideout, of course, but there was still a lot more freedom with their spare time than there would be on another mission. And it was a break, at least, from the gruelling pace Pein had been setting for the last few days, first to get to Hoshi valley, then to find Kiken afterwards. Even with her he had tried to speed them up as much as possible; so it was good to get a break that lasted more than five minutes.

Kiken, however, had to split her time up. Even before Pein wanted to talk to her, she had decided to take a walk through the forest; to try and prepare herself for what she knew was to come. She had slept well, it was true, the calming presence Itachi had acted as in the forest had somehow managed to attach itself to her for the rest of the night, and there were no overwhelming worries in her mind as she strolled through the natural paths made by the trees around her. All she needed was a little time before each conversation she had with Pein. Then, just like last time, Itachi had appeared out of nowhere, and that same feeling Kiken had received the night before returned to her, and although, just like always, neither of them said nothing, merely nodding in recognition and walking on…they both felt all the better for it.

But it didn't last, unfortunately. It was mid-morning that day when Pein called her into his office, wanting to know more about Hoshi valley, the war and the general battlefield. She had understood that it would take longer than one conversation when he had first asked, true, but that didn't make it any easier knowing she had no choice. Abruptly all she had tried to protect herself from came back with a vengeance, and the preparation that she had thought she had had turned to nothing.

Not only that, but the feeling that Itachi had involuntarily given Kiken when she had met him in the forest last night had given her one of the best nights sleeps she'd had in weeks, she had to admit—well, at least to herself—but that didn't mean it stayed when once more she had to talk about the war. She had been too naïve. For the first time in a long time, she had felt stronger towards the memories she had of the war in Hoshi valley. And it had come from another person. Because of that, she had thought it would last; that her problems would fade away, but she comprehended as Pein continued talking, that it wasn't like that at all. Itachi couldn't protect her from everything.

She just hadn't wanted to accept that fact.

So when she was finally let out from Pein's office, the sky turning dark and practically night time, she headed straight down the corridor and once again out of the hideout and into the nearby forest. Taking a walk last night had helped to clear her head, and the same had happened this morning, so regardless of whether it was day or night, surely it would help her. It was calm, quiet and peaceful in the forest—an opposite to her tumultuous thoughts in her mind—and breathing in the atmosphere, the pounding of her heart against her ribcage faded slightly. Smiling gently at the animals she noted along the way, Kiken felt her muscles slowly relaxing, knowing once again that she would be okay once she finally headed back to the hideout.

Her smile didn't fade, however, as, in exactly the same way as this morning, Itachi morphed out of the shadows, walking slowly past Kiken on her journey. But this time she halted. This time she felt different. Maybe it was how he had affected her last night, or maybe it was just how she was feeling at the moment that was affecting her; she didn't know. But it made a difference, and as he walked on, Kiken now facing his back as he began to fade into the distance, she finally found her voice; having wanting to speak to him ever since the first time she met as she began,

"This is the third time, Itachi-sama. I'm guessing you come for walks a lot, then."

Itachi, too, halted in his path, and for a moment remained frozen to the spot. He had been glad when he had bumped into Kiken when she had been walking, and he'd had the same reaction the second time. In the same way as Kiken herself had wanted to speak to him, he had wanted to speak to her; he knew having accidentally met in the forest was a perfect time to do so; they were alone, and nothing could interrupt them. But he still hadn't done a thing. Now, however, Kiken had, and he couldn't do a thing for a moment, shocked at the idea that what he'd been thinking of doing had finally come true.

"Sometimes I need to think; to be alone to do so. It's hard when you're in a building with a large group of people—and please don't call me –sama, Kiken-chan." He eventually managed to reply, relieving Kiken as he turned back around to face her when she'd just been thinking he wasn't going to answer at all.

Narrowing her eyes at his request, Kiken slowly nodded in agreement at it after a slight pause. It was strange for him to be doing so, and yet the action seemed to fit him perfectly; as well as the answer to her question had been. Smirking softly at his words, she glanced down, not wanting to seem rude, but then replied, still smirking,

"Yeah—you seem like the kind of guy to think things through a lot; it's how you can get along with Kisame even with how your fighting styles differ. So many things going on inside your head…and no one even knows it."

At first Itachi contemplated how to respond. There were allusions to numerous things under the surface of her words, and yet still meaning in the simplest form. With that realisation, however, Itachi merely smirked back at her, though slightly in awe at how she so easily saw his true self, he imperceptibly shrugged at Kiken's reference to him, but also noted how she had become quieter with her last words; speaking almost absentmindedly to him. Like she understood completely what he was going through—because she went through the exact same thing herself.

Now Itachi stepped closer; slowly at first, but soon forgot about keeping his distance at the look in Kiken's eyes and how calm she seemed. There was a moment of silence, but Itachi soon quietly asked about how she had been talking with Pein. Nodding back at his words, Kiken flashed a smirk back at him, but it didn't take much for Itachi to notice it was a half-hearted attempt at one, and though he sighed at how he was instantly saying something like it, he had to point that fact out. Not that Kiken minded; she found herself telling him about her doubts—though not to the point of the whole story—and it was just how both of them had predicted; a connection that meant they were finishing each other's sentences after knowing each other for merely a couple of days.

But the barrier between them both had been broken; now there was no hesitation in talking to each other, and soon the conversation turned from the mission, to things of lesser importance. They hadn't exactly known each other for long, and they wanted to know more about each other; well, just the basics. The feeling that Itachi had given her before was once again returned, but this time, it showed no signs of fading. Any worries about what might follow on the mission faded too, and it allowed both of them to get away from the troubles that had always plagued their minds.

The walks were never spent alone after that.


	10. Chapter 10

They spent the majority of the night talking, and by the time it ended, they were…well, they didn't really know, to be honest. They weren't friends; it was a connection that went deeper than that, but whatever it was, they hadn't a clue. Not that it mattered to them; from the moment they had met they had known there was a connection between them both somehow. Now they had managed to get talking, they knew for certain it was there, and they knew it was stronger than most bonds they had had in their lives. What did it matter they didn't know what it was; they were there, and that was the important thing.

True, it surfaced sometimes; when the conversation fell into a lapse and they found themselves looking at each other. An emotion would appear in their eyes, drawing each other into an intense gaze that neither could break until something from the outside world did. Or even when they were facing away from each other, the conversation having slowed to a halt. They would still be all that filled each other's minds, and so many thoughts rushed through their heads that it was hard to keep up. There was so much they didn't understand, but the uplifting feeling that was received in the meantime…it was more than they needed to dismiss that fact entirely.

But eventually they knew they had to head back to the hideout, for the same reason Kiken had had to before. This time Pein would be thinking about the both of them, and she didn't want to get in trouble for leading no doubt one of the most powerful and valuable members of the Akatsuki astray, so finishing her sentence, she pointed that fact out to Itachi. Smirking in return at her words, Itachi hesitated, not wanting to go back. He couldn't remember the last time he had had such an in depth conversation with someone; let alone someone like Kiken was, and he didn't want it to end. But he knew she was right, and smothering a sigh, he nodded, turning in the direction of the building and beginning to walk off; their pace a lot slower than it had started out.

When they finally arrived back at the hideout, it was obvious that they'd been talking. The others noted how they walked in together, speaking here and there, before as they reached the lounge they turned and looked at each other. It was that that showed the extent of how close that had managed to become in such a short space of time, and with one small nod, they separated, Itachi going over to Kisame to find out if anything had happened while they had been gone, Kiken heading to her room for the night. Their friendship didn't seem to be based on a lot of communication; merely a silent understanding that extended throughout them both—but then again, who could expect anymore from Itachi and Kiken?

Kisame was the only one who knew the real truth. After having been Itachi's partner all this time, he knew what he was like. And from what he had seen just then; from the way he had acted when they first met her…it was clear this connection went a lot deeper than anyone else thought it did. A realisation that Kisame couldn't help but grin at. Out of everyone out of the Akatsuki, Itachi was the most detached of all of them, even the likes of Pein, considering he had Konan with him. So for him to be getting this close to someone—and a _woman_, at that—it was nothing but good; so Kisame did nothing to try and deter him from becoming friends with her.

Of all people to understand him, Kiken would be the one to do so, after all.

The similarities between them both were numerous, and a lot of them they didn't even voice out loud. They knew each other didn't like violence; they knew they each tried to keep the peace as best they could. But in a way, they _couldn't_ speak it to each other. Their histories were complicated to begin with, not to mention the situation they were both in now. Allowing the Akatsuki to find out about all of that would be ridiculous; Itachi was working for them, and, for the moment, anyway, Kiken was. So they had to keep quiet. It wasn't too bad, though; from the moment they had met that connection had been there, and now they had become friends, obviously they knew each other better; they could see the same traits in each other, and had formed a silent understanding of each other's opinions and beliefs.

Just like the day before, they travelled next to each other, half-chatting absentmindedly as the journey went on. If how they had appeared in the hideout last night together after having gone off into the forest for hours had been a shock to the rest of the Akatsuki, seeing how they stuck together and talked so confidently in each other's presence only heightened that factor. They hadn't been expecting it, true, but there _was_ a part of them that wasn't as surprised as they could have been. He had been the one to suggest only one of them approaching her at first.

And he hadn't exactly protested when Pein offered for him to be the one to do so.

Then within a few seconds he had managed to get her to agree, and she seemed so calm in his presence; like he had already gotten on her good side and made friends; even when they hadn't been talking for long. Ultimately, it meant their overall reaction was to roll their eyes; tempted to tease them both—if it wasn't for both of their personalities and the power they held inside of themselves. Instead they just smirked, shaking their heads and letting them be. It's not like they were about to stop them; it distracted him from his usual irritating self—well, at least in Deidara's point of view.

Eventually, however, night-time inevitably fell, and they had to turn in for the night; this time, unfortunately, without a hideout to do so. Instead they were left sleeping on the ground for the night, and after finding a sheltered clearing, they picked the most comfortable places they could, using cloaks or something else as pillows, and began to settle down for the night. They were ninjas, so they weren't overly bothered with the whole idea of sleeping it rough. It happened at some point or other, and it had just happened to be this night that it had occurred, so they merely sighed in annoyance, but went on with their actions, hoping it wasn't about to rain any time soon.

The only thing that halted their journey into dreamland was Pein having a quick conversation with Itachi. Itachi was just curious as to how far away they were, wanting to know how much longer the journey would continue. Pein replied it was merely a couple of days minimum. But if they kept up the pace, they'd be there in no time and would be able to start searching for the scroll. And with all of them looking, that itself wouldn't be particularly long, either. Something which Itachi wasn't entirely sure of. A part of him didn't want the mission to end; not now he was getting to know Kiken. But there was nothing he could do; and as such he lay down in his space, closing his eyes and lulling himself to sleep.

Kiken wasn't having such luck, though. She had heard the conversation, and a sudden dread filled her heart that no one could dispel. Last night things had gotten better and she had felt her willpower growing in strength, it was true. But now they were closer. Now it was coming to a head and she would actually have to face the memories; the recollection of everything she had done and everything she had seen. No matter how much preparation she took, nothing would be able to prepare her for when she arrived at the battlefield. At which point she froze with the thought.

She could feel it. She could feel the battlefield, even from here now they were getting close. That aura of death and blood was hanging in the air, and it swirled around her, suffocating and blinding; choking. She swallowed, hard, to try and get rid of it, but it didn't help. How was she going to deal with it? It had been so many years since she had been there, and she hadn't tried to build herself up to doing so. They'd merely be throwing her into the lion's den. Now fear; panic began to overtake her. If they saw her acting like she would, what would they think? She had spent a long time trying to get over it, but it was clear it had done no good. It was overwhelming her, everywhere; invading her body and slowly destroying her from the inside out...

Itachi sat bolt upright, and biting the inside of his lip, frowning in anxiety at the space in front of him, he clenched his fists, swallowing hard. Taking a deep breath a moment later, he stood from where he had been laying, rushing over to Pein to kneel next to him, shaking him slightly until his eyes opened and he stared up at him, questioning as to what was wrong. He knew Itachi; unless it was important, he wouldn't do something like this. He wouldn't act like he was right now, and his suspicions were confirmed as he stated simply,

"It's Kiken. She's gone, Leader-sama. She's gone."


	11. Chapter 11

"What!?" Pein instantly snapped back, jumping to his feet and glaring back at Itachi. The noise of his response instantly woke up the others, who soon joined Pein in wanting to know what the hell was going on. But even Itachi only knew so much. Something had just appeared in his head—like a dream—and he had known it the moment he woke up, and as such he merely replied,

"I don't know where Kiken has gone, Leader-sama. All I know is that she has. And sometime very recently."

Scowling to himself, Pein looked away, staring down at the floor as he contemplated what to do. He couldn't jump to conclusions; she'd gone for walks quite a few times yesterday; so why couldn't she have done the same now? But Itachi wouldn't have woken him up for that—he knew that something was different this time. Kiken wasn't stupid, however. She'd agreed to the mission, and had come this far with all of them; she wouldn't think that they'd all let her be and leave her alone; she'd know they'd come after her and force her to finish the mission if they had to!

That still didn't help with finding her position, though, and he knew that was the most important thing for the time being. So taking a deep breath, he glanced around the clearing—and at all the different directions she could have taken, and pausing one second longer, then continued, calmer than before,

"Then we'd better start searching. Whoever finds her, bring her back here immediately; forcefully, if you have to. Deidara and Sasori, head that way, Hidan and Kakuzu in that direction. Kisame, you'll come with me. And Itachi...stay here in case she either comes back; or one of the others brings her back. Then you can talk to her."

With that, he nodded, and everyone disappeared from the clearing, leaving Itachi alone.

Pein didn't want everyone going off on their own; not when he knew how powerful she was. They were going to need a partnership to have a chance of forcing her to come back. If she even struggled. From what he had seen from her, Kiken didn't seem the type to fight against something like this; she was almost obedient to a fault. Then again, she hadn't seemed like the type to run away from the mission now she had agreed to it, and as such he shook his head and continued on through the trees, gritting his teeth in the hope he'd find her sooner rather than later.

Pein had chosen Itachi to stay behind in the clearing, however, because he knew Itachi knew her best after what he had seen throughout the day as they travelled. He couldn't give them all a speech to say to her if they found Kiken first, but if they could get her to talk to Itachi, he'd be able to sort things out—he'd known from the beginning the friendship they'd formed would be fine. Now all they had to do was find Kiken in order for the conversation to take place.

Itachi wasn't about to sit tight and wait for one of them to find her and drag her back to the clearing, however. Pein knew she was intelligent, and she was stealthy without even trying to be—searching for her in the method they were would get them nowhere. Not when she wasn't sure if she wanted to be found. And he knew she was unsure. Her mind was confused, and she wasn't sure where to turn. She didn't know if she wanted to agree and continue with the mission—she wasn't certain about anything at the moment; Itachi could feel it. There was just one problem with this thought process;

Where would she go now she _was_ uncertain?

Kiken had lived in Hoshi valley for a large portion of her life, and would have had to travel out of the area to get to where she had been working before. That meant she knew this area; not to mention with how easily she analysed things; how she could sense things within the very earth itself, she probably knew it better than anyone else out there. She could be anywhere in the forest right now, and no one; not Pein, not any of the other Akatsuki...not even _he_ knew where she was; and unless he found her, things wouldn't end well.

Closing his eyes, Itachi took a deep breath and began to think, pushing away the worries he had about her welfare and what would happen to her in order to think clearly about this situation. It must have been something that had happened just before they had all decided to turn in for the night. Something someone had said, or something she had seen...but whatever it was, it had spooked her. Kiken had become anxious and unable to think clearly for herself, and with everyone around her, it had no doubt made it worse. She hadn't wanted to appear weak to the Akatsuki, and didn't want them to find out what was bothering her so much, and so she had felt the only available option...was running.

But Itachi knew what was bothering her.

She had never spoken about it to him, but he knew what it was with a combination of personal experience and the connection that was between the two of them. Automatically he frowned at the thought; all this time it had been bothering Kiken to the point of overwhelming her, and he hadn't said a thing because of his own barriers. Now look what had happened; she was so uncertain about her life, and no one was around her to help her out with that fact. But he could do; he understood the thoughts she must have been thinking, and knew he could comprehend why she was thinking them. If he could talk to her, Itachi knew without a doubt he could help her.

He just hadn't a clue where she was in order to do so.

Hearing footsteps a little way away, he scowled at himself and pushed away his surroundings, going deep inside himself to think things through. He didn't have time to consider what he would do when he got there; he had to think about how he was going to get there in the first place! Once he found Kiken, he'd be able to speak to her and make sure she was alright. But he had to start at the beginning, like with so much in life; it was only that way that he would be able to figure out where exactly Kiken was.

So he ran through the conversations he'd had with Kiken in his mind; from the very first moment they'd properly spoken to each other. For hours after that he had conversed with her; the Akatsuki and the mission forgotten for the moment—all that mattered being her. After all that talking, he had to know enough. There had to have been something she had said that would enable him to figure out where she would go when she needed to think. Running constantly to get away from the Akatsuki wasn't Kiken's style; not when she found it so easy to hide from people in the simplest of places.

So where was she?

And then it hit Itachi, and he pushed away the conversations they had had; because it wasn't about them. This situation went deeper than that; the same sort of thing that had woken him up the moment Kiken had disappeared from the clearing; that had been like a dream telling of a warning. That hadn't come from when they had been talking together the day before; or even when they had been travelling. No; this had been there the moment they had met. The connection that Itachi now knew wasn't one-way; that connected Kiken to him as much as it did him to her. He had felt it immediately, and they had only heightened it with getting close to each other, and soon he fell deep into that feeling; sensing her presence even when she wasn't there.

Then opening his eyes, he smirked triumphantly, dismissing Pein's order and heading off into the trees.

What did it matter when he knew where Kiken was?


	12. Chapter 12

Kiken slowed to a halt once she reached the tree.

It was one of the oldest in the world, and was certainly the oldest in the area. It grew by the banks of a small river—well, more like a stream—and its roots stretched out underneath for metres in every direction. With its size, it was perfect for sitting against and watching everything unfold in front of you. Animals didn't mind her presence, almost seeing her as part of the nature itself, and as such continued on with their business as Kiken found the right place and sat down, curling up slightly as she observed the fireflies slowly circling round by the water.

She shouldn't have left; she knew she shouldn't have. If one of them woke up and noticed—which she knew they most likely had—they would all start searching for her, disrupting the peace of the night and interfering with their plans. They'd start thinking she'd given up on the mission and didn't want to come back, leaving them in the lurch on a mission that Pein considered of high importance. He'd no doubt be really angry with her if they stumbled upon her sitting there.

But she couldn't go back. Not now. Not yet.

Her mind was still tumbling with thoughts, and she needed to be at peace with the world in order for—well, to make her own mind ordered. She needed to take things slow; to build up a barrier against the things she knew she would have to face when it came down to entering Hoshi valley once again. When it came down to entering the _battlefield _once again. After all, it was her who would have to deal with all that; she'd sense it more than any of the Akatsuki would, regardless of their power—not that she was whining about it. They had no idea what had happened back then, so she wasn't about to get on at them for it.

She wasn't about to tell them about it, either.

Things had seemed so much easier only a few hours ago; for once in her life she had forgotten about all she had done and seen. But the past has an annoying way of creeping up on you when you least expect it; of lulling you into a false sense of security before catching you off guard and bringing everything back to the surface. It had hit her all at once, and as she'd left straight after it had occurred, Kiken had never given herself a full amount of time to deal with it; like her training, she had picked herself up and continued. Never would she go back, and she had kept away from it; ultimately not allowing herself to get a grip on it in any way possible. And this was where it had got her. Completely incapable and ruining the life she had _now_. It just didn't seem like she could truly do anything to keep going on.

Abruptly her focus came back to her surroundings, and she narrowed her eyes as she noticed that every animal—minus the fireflies—had disappeared into the shadowy depths of the forest, leaving her alone. Instantly she swallowed, gently closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what was to come. The Akatsuki weren't going to be happy with her; the only thing they'd be okay with was how she wouldn't struggle. She wouldn't have the strength to do anything at all; just let them take her back to the clearing...and she'd try and cling to her sanity.

It wasn't until the presence came closer that Kiken noted who it truly was; and opening her eyes, she frowned in bewilderment. He was alone, and he showed no signs of anger, or wanting to take her back to the others. As calm as ever, and having found her relatively quickly on his own. But with a half-hearted smirk, Kiken couldn't be surprised. With how connected she knew they both were, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise for him to be here right now. Whether Pein knew he was here or not, she didn't know; but to begin with, she said nothing, wondering how he was going to start this conversation.

Though for a moment, Itachi said nothing, until she was starting to think he wasn't going to say anything at all; not knowing what to say. Then abruptly he spoke up, and questioned, a lot softer and quieter than Kiken had been expecting,

"Is it hard? For you to go back? To Hoshi valley, I mean."

Glancing down, she hid a sigh, and opening her mouth, she started to think of a small lie to tell him to get off the subject; but flicking her gaze to look at him out of the corner of her eye, she knew it was hopeless. He had hit the nail on the head, and he knew exactly what was going on, and eventually Kiken gave up, responding in almost a whisper,

"I left as soon as I could—I've never been back since; I couldn't bring myself to do so."

Itachi had advanced until he was standing a few steps away at this point, and halting, he followed Kiken's gaze to the fireflies as he wondered how to reply. He didn't want her to go through something that would cause her so much pain mentally; it had scarred her enough already, let alone having to relive the whole situation. But he didn't want to seem like he was accusing Kiken of being weak and that she didn't have the mental strength to do it. Keeping his gaze on the fireflies for one more second, he eventually turned back to look at her, suggesting quietly,

"If you tell us the directions, we can go on alone if it's too much—we'll pay you for helping us with that."

Smirking, looking for a moment up into his gentle eyes after he made the offer, Kiken looked back again immediately afterwards, a different feeling altogether surfacing within her at what she saw. But remembering what he had said, she knew what it was like, and as such shook her head softly, explaining she had to be there, or otherwise it wouldn't work. Frowning in confusion, Itachi let it be as he abruptly noticed Kiken taking a few deep breaths, closing her eyes once again. She was just trying to build up her courage; to help her gather the strength she needed to join him and go back, when she froze suddenly as he fully came over, crouching down next to her as he breathed sweetly,

"If you're ashamed of the fact that you were the last one alive, Kiken-chan, don't be. It was fate as to what happened; don't blame yourself. The war shouldn't have been started in the first place, let alone involving you with the age you must have been."

At that, Kiken's eyes opened again and she turned to face him, just like before. Only this time, she looked at him in a different way. He had had to deal with the Third Shinobi World War, having coming from Konoha, and when that had occurred, he would have had to have been four or five at the time. So to compare what she had seen to what he must have been through...it made no sense. He'd been through so much more than her, and yet he was being like this to her. In reality, Itachi had every right to be telling her to stop being such a baby and deal with it, but he was being so kind. Suddenly everything fell away, just like the first time she had met him, and the feeling he had been imbuing her with as they travelled came back, but didn't appear to be ready to fade any time soon. Kiken felt her strength returning to her, and her mind settled and cleared. The doubts dissipated as she continued staring up into those eyes of his, until, a smile coming to her face, she whispered softly and sweetly in return,

"Thank you for everything, Itachi-kun. But we should probably be getting back now."

A huge surge of relief swept over Itachi with her words, having not even noticed how worried he was getting as to whether she would agree to continue. But returning to the clearing and explaining everything to Pein was the last of Itachi's concerns. Kiken was now willing to stay—of her own free will.

He couldn't ask for anything better than that.


	13. Chapter 13

The journey continued from there; and it was a lot smoother than it had started out.

They made good progress, and soon enough, the edge of the valley and the border gates into it appeared on the horizon. A few glances were thrown in Kiken's direction as it was pointed out in the distance, but they soon dismissed the idea as she showed no signs of worry or reluctance to continue. She wasn't exactly happy to be there, it was true, and it wasn't just Itachi who knew it; it was all of the Akatsuki. But after what Itachi had said to her back at the tree...after how he had been so supportive of her when she had been so worried about everything...she didn't feel as helpless anymore.

Suddenly...it felt like she was moving on with her life.

There was a moment when she swallowed hard as she passed through the gates, a sudden flashback of the last time she had been there appearing in her mind. But back then she had been walking the other way; telling herself it would be the last time she would have to go through them…and now here she was. In a totally different situation; but going through them all the same. The fear that had gripped her heart when she had left was something she remembered clearly; it was why she had been running out of there as fast as she could. But now it was just that; a memory, and glancing at the others she realised things weren't like that anymore. That time had passed, and things had changed. With that thought, the flashback faded, and she continued on as normal.

First hurdle over…

It didn't take very long before they reached the village nearest the battlefield, however, though this time the memories weren't as hard to deal with as before, surprising Kiken herself. But then she remembered how things had been back then; Kiken had accepted how the other children had been wary of her long ago, and it hadn't bothered her for long even as a child. Walking through the village was easy compared to walking through the gates. In the years she had stayed there, in actual fact, Kiken hadn't really spent a lot of time there. She had passed by it during her training when in the outskirts, in the forest, or had been sent down there to get something or to deliver a message. But apart from that, she had been confined to the mansion.

A building which she spotted a moment later.

Hovering on the hill, it cast a shadow on the area below it, acting as a black mark on the overall image of a village that was sweet and picturesque. There was the mansion itself; dark looking and a place no child would dare go, even if dared to by a friend. From the front, even when she had lived there, it had looked empty and hollow, as if nothing but ghosts and spirits lived inside. It was taken care of to the point where it continued to stand upright and remained able to house people, but apart from that, the vines were allowed to crawl all over it, further shadowing it and creating a creepy look.

It was the back of the house that showed people lived there, as the barracks were situated there. True, the ninjas left to stay in their houses in the village, but for the majority of the day they trained in the area behind the mansion, made weapons or went over plans. It was the place where Kiken had spent most of her life—or at least what she could remember. Day after day she repeated the training, learning to deal with every weapon imaginable. Learning anatomy of the human body; hunter-nin techniques, ANBU techniques; even medic-nin techniques so Kiken would be able to heal herself if she was injured in battle.

But she allowed herself a small smile as she recalled those days. She was free now; working willingly for the Akatsuki with no one confining her to a compound at the back of a house. The rules Kiken had been taught as a child would never truly leave her, she knew that, but at least she had the liberty to use them as she wished; to control the length of how far she would go when confronted with a situation. Life was better now than it had been back then, and she wanted it to stay that way.

"Was that where you used to live?" Hidan suddenly spoke up, having noticed Kiken staring at the building as they went past it. Nodding slowly, Kiken took a breath to keep herself calm, knowing it wasn't that bad, and looking back over at Hidan, shrugged imperceptibly and replied,

"Yeah. Seifu—the leader of the village—he worked from there, and I trained round the back. Along with the other ninjas. Though they stayed in the village for the most part."

"Didn't you stay with your parents?"

"No. I never knew them." Kiken stated in return, showing no signs of sadness at this comment; but like she had said, she had never known them; what was there to be sad about?

Narrowing his eyes at the shadow of a building, Itachi tried to imagine having to live there, but found he couldn't do so. It must have been hard—especially with the leader of the village pushing you to train all the time, not being able to escape into the village; to go for walks like she had been doing back when staying at the hideout. He had noticed her reaction when walking through the gates; but she hadn't had a reaction like it when coming through the village, and Itachi couldn't help but wonder as he walked on. Had she even hung out in the village as a child, or was she just kept up in the mansion, like a pet? It would be no wonder Kiken was as obedient as she was if that was how her childhood had been. It was clear Pein had considered that as well, as he glanced from the mansion to Kiken and back again, his gaze falling to the floor as he pieced it together.

No wonder so much about the war was strange…something wasn't quite right.

But for now, at least, they pushed the idea aside as they continued on towards the house of the man who had given them the information. They needed to tell him they had found Kiken; interfering with their plans wasn't something Pein wanted, and this way he would know the Akatsuki no longer needed any of his help. It was an unwanted side trip, but they had no choice. It was either this; or have him turning up randomly to see how they were doing. And the less people that knew about this, the better.

Eventually they reached it, trying to remain as spread out as possible to avoid looking a little _too_ threatening. Pein took the lead, however, and knocking on the door, stepped back a bit and waited for him to surface. Immediately he began tapping his foot, Sasori's influence abruptly appearing within him after having not even paused to see if he was coming—this needed to be dealt with quickly, and this guy was just wasting time.

Then abruptly the door opened, and the guy nodded in recognition of their return, wondering what they were going to say. He couldn't tell whether they had found Kiken or not; their faces were too apathetic for that, and as such he did nothing for a moment, before Pein finally spoke up, stating bluntly,

"We found Kiken, and as such we no longer need your help."

But with these words, he instantly began looking around, his eyes falling on Kiken a second later, a small smile appearing on his face at having seen her for the first time in quite a few years, especially with the war having taken place. Kiken froze, unsure what to do, and for the first time since arriving in Hoshi valley, she really faltered in her optimism.

She couldn't bring herself to smile back.


	14. Chapter 14

Seeing him gave Kiken a much bigger jolt than anything else had done.

He had been part of the war; true, he hadn't been there on the last day, when everything happened, but he was a reminder of it. The gates had reminded Kiken of leaving Hoshi valley; the mansion a reminder of having lived in the village. But he was a reminder of the war, and that affected her more than anything else had done. As such, for the moment, she wasn't sure what to do, and stayed silent to begin with, staring back at him. He took it as a sign to speak first, and breathed, the smile still evident,

"It seems so strange to see you again, Kiken-sama. How have you been?"

"I'm fine. Just getting on with my life away from here." She rapidly shot back, gritting her teeth in order to force herself to keep eye contact.

Though at first he was a little surprised at her quick and blunt answer to his question, he abruptly realised their difference in situation. Yes, he had participated in the war, but he had had the luck to have been pulled out—even if it had been through injury. That meant he hadn't seen the last couple of days of the war; he hadn't seen what had happened when it had all ended. Not to mention he had been much older than she had been. Overall he _couldn't_ be too shocked at her answer—not when he knew what she had been through. She had every right to be like that, and as such he responded quietly,

"Of course. I don't think anyone expected you to stay here after everything that happened."

Managing a small smirk, Kiken nodded in acceptance of his words, and then turned to Pein to try and get a response—hopefully one that meant they would leave his house _now_. She had nothing against him, but it had taken a lot to even get her to come to the valley in the first place; she didn't want anything else to affect her journey to the battlefield. She wasn't angry at him; anything but. When she had heard that someone other than her was alive; that someone had fought in the war and had survived, she had almost felt like crying. Ultimately, she had been too busy trying to leave Hoshi valley in order to do so, but she couldn't help but be relieved. It didn't matter that he hadn't been there on the day the war ended…just that he was still living was good enough for her.

But there was so much of it that was to do with her, and if there was any chance of him finding out, she wasn't about to hang around and let it happen. It was bad enough hanging around Itachi; getting close to him to the point where she cared about his opinion. Now she was afraid about him finding out the truth. She had been afraid even before she had met him; but now it had only been heightened, and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now in this position.

Then as Pein nodded in goodbye to the villager, Kiken knew she could do nothing but keep going—just like always. If she could get to the battlefield; deal with it all there and help them find the scroll…then the mission would be over and done with, and she could leave. She could get as far away from the valley as possible, never darkening the gates of the valley or village again or reminding that guy of the war. The village had tried to erase it from its history, and all she was doing was ruining it. As if she hadn't done enough already; coming back was only going to make things worse.

Itachi instantly noticed her reaction; the way she had spoken, and narrowed his eyes as he contemplated what to do. He didn't want to bring up the subject while everyone else was around, but at the same time, he didn't want to just leave it be. Seeing him had really gotten to Kiken, and he wanted to make her feel better. At least with the Akatsuki there wasn't much they knew about the war, and as she had already stated she didn't want questions, the topic was brushed aside. But with that guy…it meant he could talk about it; and talk about it with information that not many knew.

As if building up the willpower to walk through those gates hadn't been hard to begin with…

Instead Itachi merely walked closer to Kiken and stood right next to her, his shoulder brushing against hers. Glancing over and up into his eyes, Kiken nodded in thanks, but said nothing in return. His shoulder supported her, and helped her take the lead to show everyone where the battlefield was. That didn't mean she didn't have to take a deep breath to help push away the flashbacks of numerous injuries that had taken place during the fights. She had seen the scars on his body when standing there talking to him, and needed to focus on something else.

But strangely enough, that focus turned onto Itachi. He was literally supporting her now, but he was managing to do so in other ways. It didn't take much for him to give her a little more self-confidence, and he always tried to help if he knew something was wrong; and he could always tell. He had known how difficult it was going to be for Kiken to come back to Hoshi valley—he had proven that when he talked to her before. Itachi had been willing to disobey Pein to help her get away from them all; to send her off into the shadows and say he had seen nothing, letting her disappear. It had been that concern that had made Kiken stop and realise she wanted to stay.

Because he gave her hope. All her life the war had tainted her memories and everything she did, whether in how she treated people, what missions she accepted or the way she fought ninjas she approached. The very idea of going back to Hoshi valley had filled her with dread. But with Itachi there; with him talking to her and offering his help, he gave her strength, and the idea that she _might_ be able to return, that she might be able to accept all that had happened and allow herself to let it all go...she couldn't dispel that from her mind.

He was so strong in himself, and he passed it on to Kiken, slowly aiding her in the journey. He didn't have to; whether through personality or the fact he was powerful enough to force her to do so to begin with; and yet he still came to her side. The connection she had felt between them had been one thing, but now, as she felt his calm, strong presence next to her, Kiken felt something else entirely. Something she didn't understand, and to start with, almost frightened her.

It wasn't until she glanced over at Itachi that she realised it wasn't anything bad. She hadn't felt this carefree towards someone for...for as long as she could remember. Friends hadn't been allowed in her life when she had been young, adults not wanting to get to know her because of their wariness at her power. Kiken had learned not to get close to people everywhere she had turned; it made her weak if she let her guard down; people would insult her and call her names if she tried to get to know anyone. That meant she had to stay at a distance at all times. She wasn't about to be horrible or disrespectful to them; but there always had to be a degree of isolation.

But now Kiken wanted it to change.

An abrupt wave swept over her, and she felt different. Any worries about being back in Hoshi valley dissipated; Itachi's eyes; his face, all she could focus on. She didn't know why she was doing it, or even what she was doing in the first place, but when it came down to it, she didn't care. Regardless of whether she was acting like a silly fangirl and acting ridiculous, it didn't matter. Itachi gave her the feeling of being able to do anything; to dodge round her doubts and faults and to keep going; to conquer the fears that had ruled her very existence since her life had begun. He was always so strong; so handsome and mysterious. There wasn't anything he couldn't do.

So what did Kiken have to worry about?


	15. Chapter 15

Kiken barely noticed the journey as she led the Akatsuki to the battlefield; she was too busy talking with Itachi. She had never felt like it before, but she liked it; and as such she could concentrate only on that. Not that Pein minded; she was showing them the way, after all, and her job was almost done. She was a sweet girl, when it came down to it, and though it hadn't been long, she had managed to develop a friendship—of sorts—with everyone, and he knew neither Kiken nor Itachi would let anything affect their work.

But her daydreaming wasn't enough to stop her brain from finally noticing where she was.

And it wasn't enough to stop herself from shivering at the sight.

Not that anyone else shared her view; if anything, it was the opposite. They all stared at the sight in front of them, having not expected it in the slightest, and hadn't a clue as to what to do now. How were they supposed to find this scroll now? The war had supposedly been the worst thing that had hit Hoshi valley since it was first discovered, but this didn't really fit the kind of image everyone had been expecting. Even Itachi narrowed his eyes in confusion at all he could see; Kiken looked nervous as he glanced over at her, so he knew this was definitely the place, but he couldn't really pick out what it was that was making her like it.

Because the entire area...was just green grass; trees, flowers and a light breeze.

An idyllic setting for a picnic or a day out.

Not for a life-changing, all-killing war. So what had happened? It hadn't been _that_ long.

"Kiken-chan? W-what's going on, un? I know it's been a while, but...why's it like _this?_" Deidara managed to blurt a moment later, having fallen to a standstill with the rest of the Akatsuki. Kiken, too, had halted in her path, but stared at all that was in front of her; her face deadpan and without any trace of emotion, her eyes glassy—staring at something that no one else could see. For a moment they thought that was the case, when Kiken abruptly broke her silence, stating quietly and tonelessly,

"Things aren't always as they appear on the surface, Deidara."

With that, she walked forward and further into what had been the battlefield. She wasn't headed anywhere specific, but she needed to be fully immersed in it all in order to help them find what they were looking for. But it was as the Akatsuki followed her that they finally began to understand her reaction—why it truly _could_ be seen as the site for a war. The moment they took a few steps forward, and a wave of chakra washed over them; almost like a forcefield. It wasn't the kind that created a barrier...but there was a lot of chakra that fuelled it.

And it didn't stop there. Instead of fading as they continued on after Kiken, the feeling of chakra remained; a power that felt as if it had been there for years, and was utterly raw. It hadn't come about through handsigns; this was pure chakra from the very inner depths of something. Now the rumours of this power seemed ever more real; now the idea of the villagers wanting to erase the memory of the war from the land seemed like a good thing to do. This place wasn't right; they might be S-rank criminals, having travelled all over the world and to all sorts of places...but what they felt in the air at that moment...it was worse than they had ever thought it would be. It polluted the air, and almost made you feel like choking.

"There's so much chakra in the air..."Hidan whispered, not feeling comfortable with talking at a normal decibel. Not here—not this place. But he was answered a moment later, Kakuzu running his gaze over the area around him before finally replying,

"No—it goes deeper than that. It's...the _atmosphere_ itself. It feels so...ominous; maleficent."

"Yeah. And with good reason," Kiken abruptly spoke up, realising what she had to do now. A part of her had been hoping they wouldn't sense anything; they would just be surprised at seeing nothing but forest and fields, think that someone had taken it and give up. But of course they wouldn't—not with the abilities they had; they'd be able to sense things more than anyone in the village could. Now there was no other way out of this, and as everyone looked over at her, seeing her turn away from them, muttering words and raising her hands in a handsign, everything changed.

"Mother—"Hidan began, but found he couldn't finish the sentence.

No one could say a word. Whatever Kiken had done; it was a powerful thing, and it had been placed there for a reason. Time...had almost been turned back, back to when the war had been going on; the last day it had occurred. When all that had participated in the battles had died—excluding Kiken and the guy in the village. Now the Akatsuki could see what it had been like; the ground was burned, any amount of grass nowhere to be seen, stained red from all the blood from the injuries; the bodies.

And they were _everywhere_.

The amount of flowers they had seen to begin with had now been replaced with the same number of bodies. It was impossible to walk anywhere without stepping on a corpse; or at least a part of one. The smell of blood hung in the air, the silence overwhelming the entire place. It was no wonder all the villagers had tried to forget it; to never speak of it again. No wonder why they kept their mouths shut to the point where most people outside the valley thought it was a myth, and nothing more.

Who would want to remember this?

The place was in ruins. Being a ninja meant you _had_ to go into battle at some point, and the Third Shinobi World War hadn't been that long ago. But this was different. In that war, people had been fighting for their village; sticking in their teams and protecting each other; but in this war, no one had come out alive on either side. It didn't matter who they had been fighting for—because those lines began to blur. It seemed like the fight had taken place...just because; everyone against everyone. It wasn't a surprise to know this occurrence; this memory, this story...was taboo. It was cursed—how, none of them knew, but it had been cursed alright; and a curse that would never be able to be lifted.

They'd seen a lot of injuries in their time; inflicted a large percentage of them, too. But even the Akatsuki had to admit they hadn't ever seen such brutal carnage as what was in front of them right now. Each of them were shell-shocked, and nothing could be said to explain what they were thinking. It was almost unbelievable; unfathomable to the human mind that this had really happened; and in an area like Hoshi valley, of all places. To start a war of this level in such a picturesque place...it seemed strange.

"Don't bother trying to avoid the bodies; you can't. But they're real. This isn't a genjutsu to show you what it was like—this is exactly the same as it was before. The chakra that enveloped the battlefield was so strong to the point where it preserved everything. It hasn't changed—and it never will."

The Akatsuki had thought this place would be bad...

But they were starting to think they'd got more than they bargained for.


	16. Chapter 16

Silence still remained a few minutes later, none of the Akatsuki having been able to think up something that would allow them to reply to Kiken's comment. Things hadn't been great to begin with, but with that, it had thrown them completely off track. It wasn't until Pein abruptly realised that they had gone there for a reason to begin with that he managed to move things along, beginning quietly and slowly,

"Well...I guess we'd better start looking for the scroll, then."

Jolting out of whatever morbid thoughts they'd been having, the Akatsuki nodded at his words and began to comply. If they forced themselves to do it, then it would be over with as soon as possible and they could leave this graveyard. The feeling this place gave off was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine; it didn't seem to encourage life. Kiken vaguely followed them all, but didn't seem to be searching in the same degree as the rest were—but none of them were bothered about it, and let her be. From what they had heard from the stories and the guy in the village, she had participated in the war, like he had done; but she had been the only one to be there on the last day.

When all of what they were looking at had happened.

A strange sympathy washed over them at that realisation; having had to have seen all that; and she couldn't have been more than 13. To have come out of it all with her sanity intact was a miracle in itself, let alone all she had done. Her reluctance to decide to come back here had been utterly justified, and considering they were now all standing in the battlefield where it had taken place, Kiken had every right to do what she wanted. There was enough of them searching, anyway—and she only knew so much; she had said from the beginning she couldn't remember a specific scroll, so it was up to them from here.

Kiken wandered on the outskirts of their search party, unsure where to walk, what to say—or whether to say anything at all. Everything she had tried to build herself up for had fallen from beneath her the very moment she arrived, and she was too tired to even try and piece it back together again. The only thing she could find herself doing was wandering around; wanting to close her eyes; to look away from the corpses on the floor, but having it turn out to be useless. She had told them that it was impossible to avoid the corpses; but it didn't stop her from trying. She contemplated why she had even thought she would be able to deal with seeing this place again easily. There was nothing she could do to make what she saw around her better; no matter what she did.

It wasn't exactly helped as a moment later; she walked past a tree stump she suddenly recognised, causing her to halt immediately. Kiken had been too busy thinking about all her surroundings to realise just what was going on. The Akatsuki were methodically searching around the area, and by lazily following them, she had unwittingly stumbled on the last place on earth she wanted to be. No matter what she did; how hard she tried to fight it and run away from it all, it somehow still managed to pull her back. To pull her down to the depths of what it had done to her.

The battlefield was a horrible place for Kiken, it was true. But there was one place worse than that. One area within the battlefield where it had all gone wrong. Where she had been when the war ended; when everyone had died and she had been left there, the last one standing, and no one being able to understand. No one truly knowing who she was—not knowing herself. That war had been what had given her purpose, and at that point she had been left with nothing to her name and nowhere to go.

She was nothing.

No one—not even Itachi—could force her to go over there; to relive all that she had tried to forget. It was Kiken's hell, and the place from where all her nightmares stemmed from; what haunted her in the night and in her dreams. Her throat closed up, and even if she had wanted to, she couldn't tell what she was feeling or thinking. Back then her mind had gone blank; overwhelmed with emotion, and the memory of that time was beginning to do the same. All she could do was stand there and stare at what she knew was over the hill, screaming at herself to move, but finding she was frozen to the spot.

Then finally someone passed into her gaze; Sasori wandering down there to search for the scroll, and it knocked Kiken out of it. If he spotted her standing there like that, he'd ask what was wrong—and in her current state, she'd admit everything. But she couldn't tell him; not after she had picked herself up off the ground all those years ago; after she had left Hoshi valley and made her life in other places, meeting other people and leaving all that had happened behind her. No one could know what she'd done—but she wanted them to. And with that thought, she knew she had to get out of there.

Forcing her body to move, Kiken turned from her spot and walked away, not looking back once as she kept on walking, not hesitating in the slightest. She kept on walking; until eventually everything disappeared; grass replacing the bare earth and the sun shining once again. She had reached the edge of the battlefield, and now she was out, all that had been preserved in the war was gone; hidden behind the forcefield that acted as a barrier to keep all that terror, blood and death behind it.

If only she could do the same to memories of it.

Soaking in the nature around her, trying to replace the visions of the battlefield with what she saw now, Kiken paused for a moment; but knowing it was but a step behind her, she quickly ploughed on. Once the Akatsuki came out after finding the scroll, then she could meet up with them. Then she could return the battlefield to what it had been before; a mere illusion to everyone in the valley. But for now, she couldn't go back there. Not now the full memory of the war had resurfaced, and it was all right there in front of her, as if it had been yesterday; as if it was a parasite, worming its way into her skin and slowly eating her from the inside out.

Itachi hadn't exactly been looking for the scroll either. Part of him was keeping an eye on Kiken; what she had said just then; how she acted—it wasn't like her. Seeing the battlefield was affecting her, and Itachi didn't want her to be any more scarred than she already was. It was clear how much it must have gotten to her; if it had affected all the Akatsuki had done; he couldn't imagine what it must have been like for her back then. Though he wandered round the battlefield, he continually glanced over at her from the corner of his eye; just in case anything was wrong.

But he was having problems of his own. He hadn't seen violence like this in a long time; not even the Tsukuyomi could create butchery like what he saw now. Standing there made his own recollections resurface within him; and just like Kiken, he couldn't show the Akatsuki. But it got harder to control the more he walked around, stepping on the dead wherever he went. So when he noticed Kiken heading out of the area, he couldn't help but feel slightly relieved for himself, as well as her. It gave him the chance to get away from there, and he had to smother a sigh as the forest returned to its glory once out of the battlefield. Glancing around, he spotted Kiken a moment later, and quickly began to follow, slowing to a halt as she sat down, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths to calm herself down.

Itachi opened his mouth to ask if she was feeling alright, when he was cut off from doing so as Kiken questioned bluntly,

"Do the dead bodies bring back memories for you, too?"

But Itachi was unable to respond to her words.

After all, how could she know?


	17. Chapter 17

Kiken hadn't grown up in a ninja village; or anywhere near one!

The rumours must have got around about what he had done, but there was only so much she could know from hearing them. And even then, the stories would have had nothing to do with what Kiken had asked. Itachi had massacred his entire clan without so much as a word of warning, leaving only his little brother alive. Why would the dead bodies in the battlefield affect him now if he had seen the exact same thing before, and done by his own hand? He was supposed to be a cold blooded killer with no regard for human life.

So why was Kiken acting as if things were different?

She paid no attention to the surface rumours, ignoring what she might have heard about him and focusing on what she saw now; what he talked to her about and how he acted. She viewed him in the same way as she viewed everybody else, and, somehow with those eyes of hers she saw straight through him. Maybe it was because there were no specific parts to her eyes; no sclera, iris or pupil—merely black—that Kiken could see more than most humans. That she could _feel_ more than most humans. Maybe that was why she knew people's stories without having had them told her; why she could feel the atmosphere the battlefield gave off even when she was miles away.

"Those kind of images just never disappear." She suddenly added, and Itachi narrowed his eyes at her words.

Whatever they had done to her when she was a child, it had made her so much more sensitive to everything in this world. It had heightened her normal senses, and given her more that tuned her in to the likes of spirits and ghosts. It shocked Itachi to the point where he was unsure how to respond, but then…he had always known there was something unusual about her; it was what had drawn her to him in the first place. He had known from the start that he had a connection to Kiken, and it wasn't a bad thing for her to be able to understand the truth. Out of everyone, she was the one he'd want to know the most, and as such, he nodded slowly, stating simply,

"Yeah," before walking over and sitting down next to her gently. Thinking over how he had felt back in the battlefield, he turned to look at Kiken another time to go on,

"Memories like that are always hard to get rid of—if you even can."

Clamping her eyes shut, Kiken turned away from Itachi, curling into herself in an attempt to push away the affect he was having on her. If she had felt like telling Sasori everything when he had walked past her, it wasn't made any better now Itachi was here. She could _feel_ all that had happened to him, and she knew the difficulties he had had to face. Whether it was in the way he acted, the way he spoke, or what he said—Kiken knew why he had done it and what had influenced that factor.

That was why she felt so connected to him; because she understood his situation, and could feel what had happened with him, it meant she knew he could comprehend her own. All her life she had vowed never to tell her story to anyone; but that had been out of fear that people would judge her and turn her away. That she would be left alone, just like she had been before, and as such she had kept it all to herself.

But then Itachi showed up.

Suddenly, for the first time in her life, somebody understood. Itachi had been through similar things; he would know what to do. He had dealt with all that had come his way so well, continuing on with his life and doing everything he wanted; keeping his dreams and his pride. Still being strong even after it all. If Kiken could talk to him about it; if Kiken could share…then he could help her. She could get advice. But best of all…

She wouldn't have to be alone.

From the very beginning, even before the start of the war, she had been alone. She hadn't been allowed to make friends with the children in the village, or even with the other ninjas she worked with. During a war isn't the best time to make friends, and then everyone she had ever known had disappeared from her life. Though she had moved away from Hoshi valley and had gotten other jobs; that need to hide her story from people meant she always had to keep people at arm's length. Kiken had remained alone; but it wouldn't have to be that way anymore. Not now Itachi was here.

A part of her mind fought this idea; told her not to do so; not with everything that was going on at the moment. That the time wasn't right. But it was too late by now. The urge—the _desire_—to finally tell someone; to have someone understand; had become too much, and though she curled further into herself, she still blurted,

"I know exactly how you felt, Itachi. Well, I mean—how you _feel_."

Once again, Itachi found himself shocked at the extent of what you knew about it all; but stayed uncertain as to whether talking about it right now—where they were at the time—was the best situation to be doing so. He wanted to properly answer her statement; he did, but not if it meant ruining everything they had already built up—destroying the friendship that they had just started on the mission.

"The way the battlefield was when we first arrived, Kiken. Did you do that? Hide it all?" He finally began, trying to redirect the conversation as best he could.

Kiken herself couldn't help but be glad at that, and grabbing at the chance to convince her own mind to let it go, she began to respond. However, things didn't go exactly as she had planned—the entire explanation of the jutsu bubbled to her lips, and Kiken couldn't stop herself as she suddenly responded,

"Yeah, I did it. I couldn't cover up everything—like the aura it gives off—but it was the least I could do after what I did."

"Kiken, you didn't do any—" Itachi began to reply, only to find Kiken wouldn't let him say anything, exclaiming in return,

"Yes! I did! It's all my fault!"

At that, however, it hit Itachi like a ton of bricks, and it suddenly came to him what the whole situation was. He couldn't force himself to speak, but there was nothing he could think of that he could use to respond to her words. His mind had been wiped blank, nothing in his head apart from the realisation—the _significance_—of all that Kiken was suggesting; was practically telling him. All the signs had been there, he could see that now. But he hadn't been expecting it, so he had ignored them all. That was why he was so shocked, as he finally got his vocal chords to move to murmur in surprise,

"You—you're the power that everyone wanted in the war!"


	18. Chapter 18

Now it made sense; so many things had seemed strange, but now, just like a jigsaw puzzle, it began to all be pieced together. Kiken couldn't do anything to hide it now—the moment she had said that; seen the look on his face; she had known Itachi had figured out what she was. Trying to disguise it would be useless; the only thing she could do…was tell the truth. Maybe if she was honest, both with Itachi and the rest of the Akatsuki, things wouldn't be as bad as she was expecting them to be. She couldn't even meet his gaze as he said it.

That was why she had frozen so much when he had first mentioned the mission would be involving the valley; it hadn't been because she didn't want to go back there—that was merely a secondary reason. The main thing was her worries of what the Akatsuki were thinking about; what they were looking for. If they had said they were looking for the overall power that everyone had been obsessed about, Kiken might not have been so willing to come with them and help out.

But she had agreed when Itachi had mentioned a scroll; that meant they weren't after her and she could relax. Of course she didn't know anything about a scroll that contained a huge load of power—there hadn't been one to begin with! With the stories that had circulated, everyone had just thought that, not knowing the power—the so called 'weapon'—wasn't anything like that at all, but a _person!_ Her status as the weapon must have been hidden in general; the less people who knew about her, the less people would try and chase after her, wanting Kiken's power for themselves.

Everyone must have wanted her, because whoever controlled Kiken, controlled the valley.

During that war…Kiken had been the most valuable resource available.

It was why she had lived in Seifu's mansion—he most likely hadn't wanted her to get kidnapped by anyone, or for anything to affect her training. She must have been hidden away from everyone, and why no one else seemed to react to her in the same way the guy in the village had done. Her personality had been shaped by that fact; acting like a servant and not liking to fight like most ninjas. After probably having been forced to fight in so many battles, she had come to see violence in a different light—just like had done after seeing the effects of the Third Shinobi World War.

Seifu had drilled into Kiken that he owned her, and that that was all she was meant for; apart from war, she was useless. Family had been replaced with trying to please the person who forced her to fight in wars she wanted no part in, trained her until she collapsed from exhaustion, and allowed her no contact with general civilians; with those her own age. She had been isolated in a way that wasn't only physical, but mental as well. At least he had had only one aspect of it.

But there was still one thing that it didn't explain.

Regardless of whether she was the power or not…

How had she survived that last day of the war?

The only reason the guy from the village had was because of his injury—he had been taken out days before it had ended. But Kiken had been right there in the middle of it all; clearly in the front line with how she had been coveted as a weapon to use in battle. Whatever had caused that damage must have enveloped her as well. Had she known what was going to happen, and she felt guilty about it?

Unless…

"Yeah, I am. I wasn't trying to hide it from you, Itachi, I swear. You never said anything about the kind of power I can use, so I thought you weren't after it. But obviously…I was wrong, wasn't I?" Looking down at the floor by this point, Kiken sighed, but, keeping her gaze away from Itachi's started to elaborate on her story.

Itachi said nothing to interrupt her. After figuring out her secret, he had guessed there were a lot of things that had been wrong in her life…but never the kind of things that Kiken was describing to him now. That same wish to protect her immediately surfaced with her story, and Itachi didn't blame her for not mentioning a thing—after how people had treated her because of it, why would she? But that wasn't what got to Itachi the most—it was what Kiken said next, falling almost to a whisper as she went on,

"I—I don't actually know how I was born. Whether it was a natural, human thing, or I was just created from nothing. I remember nothing like playing as a baby, being at a really young age or anything. Just that memory as the furthest back I can go. I don't even know if I _am_ actually human. A lot of the time it doesn't seem like it. That I was made like any other weapon; just in a different form."

It didn't feel quite right saying that to Itachi; there were stories about what had happened during the war; about the power that had been created there. But never anything about _how_ it was created. About her story itself. Explaining what had happened that day had been one thing, but telling Itachi that was another thing entirely. But it just felt right. Itachi seemed more likely to know how to react than anyone else out there; so why not? There was just one more thing to explain now, especially at the thoughtful look in Itachi's eyes.

"But I survived that day, Itachi. Everyone was fighting over me; then this one guy came over…I couldn't take it anymore. I snapped. I didn't even realise what I was doing; my body was so exhausted, and my head was so crazy, that everything just exploded out of me. My chakra just rushed out in waves—it shrouded everything, and I passed out. By the time I woke up, everyone was dead. The bodies and area was preserved…and the war was over."

"So I did what Seifu had always told me to; whatever happens, pick yourself up and carry on. No matter what injury, what problems…keep going. I put the jutsu over it; to help things along now they were dead…and I left. I never thought I'd be coming back until you approached me that day." Kiken finished, falling into silence, not able to look at Itachi or say anything more, the flashes of memories flickering through her mind as she spoke.

Glancing back at the battlefield, Itachi, too, remained in silence. Clearly she was incredibly powerful, and the reason why so many people had wanted control over her was clarified as Itachi remembered what he had seen back there. Pure chakra had preserved that place; had taken over everything and killed so many people in one fell swoop. Having used all that power, and Kiken had passed out, nothing more, being able to get back up, use a jutsu like that and leave Hoshi valley even after it all.

That didn't mean Seifu's, or anyone else's, reasons for controlling Kiken like that were _justified_. They had done her so much harm, physically and mentally, and Itachi knew she would never fully get over it; not after all she had seen and been through. She hadn't wanted to be in that war; to fight those people—she didn't like violence. Itachi didn't, but he had had ways of getting out of it, so he could avoid truly fighting anyone. Kiken hadn't; she hadn't had anything to help her, and abruptly he appeared next to her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder as he whispered, wishing he could have done something to make things better in some way,

"I'm sorry, Kiken. I'm so, so sorry."

But at that, Kiken looked up, and the floor just fell from beneath her feet.


	19. Chapter 19

She couldn't believe what she'd just heard; it couldn't be right.

All this time she had been wanting to talk about her situation to Itachi; about what she'd been through. There had been a connection there she had felt from the start when they first met, and it had made her feel so comfortable in his presence. It was how she had felt ready enough to finally tell her story. She had thought he would understand once she did so, and afterwards help her through it. But now…after what he'd said…Kiken was beginning to think she'd been utterly wrong.

She knew now that it was _her_ power they had been coming after all along. There was no scroll; they just hadn't realised that fact to begin with. No one had. Anyone who _had_ known had died back during the war. The reason she had chosen to help out was because she had thought it was nothing to do with her; that she could accept seeing Hoshi valley again and it would help her overall. Though that wasn't how things seemed at the moment—it was going completely the opposite way.

It was the only reason Itachi would apologise; but then again, Kiken couldn't really blame him. Regardless of who he worked for or what he had to do, she knew they still had a connection; that they had so many similarities. But he had an obligation. He had started working for the Akatsuki long before she had ever come along, and that meant he would automatically choose them over her. He might not want to—and she could see from the look on his face and the way he was acting that he didn't want to—but that meant nothing now. He was still going to do it, and that meant only one thing for Kiken.

Reliving the past.

After all, _she_ was the power they were after and that they wanted in their group. They had gone to so much effort to get this far, and now that they'd find out they'd had it all along without realising; Pein would be more determined than ever to make sure Kiken stayed with them. She knew their methods; of how they recruited members they wanted into the Akatsuki, and if she said she didn't want to...then they wouldn't let her get away. They'd keep chasing after her until they caught her and dragged her back. The people she had thought she could be friends with would turn out to be the worst thing possible.

It would be just like last time. Like it always had been from her childhood. Everyone wanting to control her and use her power for what _they_ wanted, never taking her opinion or free will into account. Pure, raw terror began to rise within Kiken at the realisation that after getting to know the Akatsuki she was going to be controlled by them, her heartbeat increased suddenly, slamming against her ribcage and causing her entire body to tense up. She had trusted Itachi. He meant so much to her. But she couldn't be controlled again. Not when she had been through that war. Not when she had seen what she had and done what she had.

Things weren't exactly made any better considering where she was sitting.

All she could do was stare at Itachi in horror, hoping; praying that she'd gotten it wrong. But as Itachi sighed, Kiken knew it was true. This was reality, and there was nothing she could do to change it. With her emotion rising in her throat, stopping her from being unable to properly speak, she shook her head desperately, forcing the tears back as her eyes welled up, and managing to whisper only a,

"No,"

She stood and sprinted from the area, not looking back once, leaving Itachi sitting behind her, staring after her in concern and confusion.

He didn't know what was wrong. He had been saying sorry because he couldn't even imagine what Kiken must have been through, because he had asked her to return to the place where so much had gone wrong in her life without knowing any of her story. So why had she run off? Maybe she needed some space; it was why she had left the battlefield to begin with, and now she had just told Itachi what she had done—

But then it hit him.

Seifu had made Kiken fight in the battles he wanted her to; made her participate in the war. Everything she had done had been planned by him and controlled by him; she had no choice and no voice to speak against his tyranny. It had extended when she fought in the war, with everyone and anyone fighting to control her, wanting to use her power for their own gain. Kiken had been afraid of other people dominating over her since her childhood, and though she had been living on her own, doing what she wanted, it was still imprinted on her mind, no matter how hard she tried to get rid of it. When Itachi had apologised, she had thought something different to what he had really meant.

Now she thought the Akatsuki were going to control her; just like everyone else had done.

With that thought, Itachi instantly jumped to his feet and chased after her, following the tracks she had left behind. Frowning desperately as he noticed them, he gritted his teeth; Kiken was skilled at stealth; to see how easily she was leaving tracks meant she was afraid, and incredibly so. Knowing it was him who had been the one to make her that way, he sped up, calling her name over and over. Saying he needed to explain, he tried to reason with her—wherever she was—to get her to halt; to listen to him.

But Kiken wasn't about to stop; not now. She had tried to be open-minded about this kind of thing before; force herself to listen just in case. It had never worked, though; no one had been able to justify themselves and had only captured her and forced her to fight. Things might be different now it was Itachi behind her; but she couldn't go back. Her fear was too great for that, and she kept on running. Where she was going, she didn't know, but she had to get away. Out of the village, out of the area...out of the valley entirely. Only then would Kiken feel safe enough to stop for a while.

This place just made her feel so vulnerable.

The rest of the Akatsuki halted instantly upon hearing Itachi's shouts, looking in the direction they had come from. Glancing at each other, their eyes narrowed at the implications of what it meant; and it they all felt something wasn't right. Itachi wasn't exactly the kind to shout; but the fact that he had meant there was something going on, and he had been shouting Kiken's name too; the idea that there might be some kind of fighting going on made Pein make a quick decision, ordering everyone to leave the scroll for the moment and to find Itachi. What the problem was, they didn't know. But they knew for certain Itachi did.

Kiken was leaving tracks, that much was true; but they were unpredictable; irregular. Even with her fear she was managing to confuse him, and with the speed she was running at, Itachi doubted he would be able to find her any time soon. He wasn't about to stop, however; not when he knew how she had perceived the situation. With how he cared about her, he couldn't just let this happen. As if she hadn't been through enough already.

Then Pein abruptly arrived through the trees, having caught up with him, and questioning immediately as to what was wrong, Itachi confessed Kiken had disappeared. Though Pein looked away for a moment, frowning at this news, he considered everything that had happened and stated that she _had_ practically finished her job; there wasn't really much more she could do to help them, when Itachi cut in, interrupting Pein mid-sentence,

"No; you don't understand. _She's_ the power, Leader-sama. Not a scroll. _Kiken _was the weapon—it's why she survived when no one else did."

But at that news...it was a whole different ball game.


	20. Chapter 20

None of the Akatsuki had been expecting Itachi's new information.

But Pein couldn't help but find the situation very easy to imagine with Kiken's personality.

It was something that had always puzzled him and immediately noticed the moment she had agreed to work for them all. Kakuzu obeyed orders—well, unless he got angry—but not like Kiken did. She followed everything to the letter; never looked him in the eye, bowing when arriving and leaving his presence. With the way she acted, it seemed as if she wouldn't dare do anything that would make him slightly annoyed, let alone disobey him if he told her not to do something. At first he had dismissed it as the way her training had been done; she seemed pretty obliging to begin with. It was a good thing to be when working for someone—it made it easier to get jobs if they knew you could follow orders well without protesting. But now Pein could see it made her something else entirely;

The perfect ninja; and ultimately, the perfect weapon.

A ninja that never said anything back; went along with everything you did without a word of protestation. Someone you had complete control over and would do the slightest thing that you asked. In a world where missing nins were numerous—all Pein had to do was look around and he'd see several perfect examples—to have a ninja to whom betrayal was nothing but a word was a valuable thing. For a small village in a small valley that no one knew of and had no remarkable achievements, Seifu must have leaped at the chance to have a power like Kiken's. And that was why he started the war.

"Wait...so she's just been playing us all this fucking time?" Hidan burst out, strangely angry at hearing this news. But Itachi wasn't in the mood to deal with everyone's theories and lies, and turning to look at all of them now, he shot back,

"No. She didn't know we were after _her_ power. Everyone thinks the power that was used in the war was superficial; a scroll—it's what we thought. Anyone who knew otherwise was killed that day, and the information was hidden from a lot of people. That's why Kiken was reluctant when I first mentioned it; but once she thought we were after a scroll, she agreed. It was only when I was talking to her now—that I heard her story—that I realised."

"Then what happened here? Something strange went on that day, and the only person who could know is Kiken. So what is it?" Pein interjected, and although Itachi paused, he knew there was no other way to explain to them, and so replied quietly,

"People were fighting over her; not just the likes of Seifu anymore. Ninjas within the groups themselves were fighting to gain control over Kiken; they thought if they could control her, they could control the valley. But it overwhelmed her as she was forced to fight in so many battles...and she lost control of her chakra—it enveloped the battlefield and killed anyone within its range. She created the jutsu to hide the effects; then she left the valley and hadn't come back."

The Akatsuki immediately fell silent with this news; the destruction of that place had been incredible, and to know it was all down to Kiken...it almost didn't seem believable. Kiken might have been powerful, but doing something like that was an action that no one could comprehend—so Itachi had to be telling the truth. It had to have been by accident. If she had been treated like nothing but an object her entire life, it would make sense that dealing with all those new developments during the war would overwhelm her emotionally. Combine physical power near the surface as she fought and emotional turmoil with what was around her, and logically; she lost control.

"We're going to have to find her; where do you think she might have gone, Itachi? If we hurry, we can—"

"No." Itachi interrupted, calmly but clearly. His voice was so firm and blunt that even Pein wasn't sure how to respond to it. Itachi was powerful—and everybody knew it. But he wasn't one to flaunt it openly to anyone; though that didn't mean to say it wasn't there—and this was a perfect example. He had made Kiken run away, and he couldn't make things any worse, and as such went on, hoping he could dismiss the lack of respect with that statement,

"We have to be careful about this, Leader-sama. This place brings back a _lot_ of bad memories for her, and she hates it more than anything. Kiken was never treated well when she was younger, and she's terrified of being treated the same way again. She ran because I was surprised when I figured it out, and I think she thought that that meant we were going to take her and make her do what we wanted. If we go about this the wrong way, we could only make it worse."

Pein, realising Itachi was right, relaxed slightly, nodding in acceptance at his words, and facing him fully, taking a step towards him, he started a discussion. A way to go after Kiken and make her see they weren't about to force her—well, not in the way Seifu did—to do things she didn't want. Not only had they grown to like her, but with her abilities, they doubted they would be able to do in the first place. But they needed to make a plan, and Itachi told the details he knew. There was no point heading after her instantly; her fear was only making her faster.

By now, however, it was a fear that was turning into paranoia.

Kiken was sprinting as fast as she could through the trees, every few seconds glancing behind her to make sure there was no one there. Every sound made her jump, every shadow seemingly a person ready to jump out and attack her. She didn't like being like this; she'd been in more fights than most ninjas double her age and knew she needed to calm down and think everything over rationally, but there was just too much going on in her head for that to happen.

Forcing back the tears was getting harder and harder the more the memories flashed again and again through her head. Kiken shouldn't have done it. She shouldn't have let herself trust Itachi. For as long as she could remember, everyone in her life had stabbed her in the back and acted towards her in a way that was for their _own_ gain, never thinking of her welfare or health. After all that, she shouldn't trust anyone with anything. So why had she allowed Itachi in? Why had Kiken lowered the barriers that normally made everyone keep their distance—that protected her?

Why was he different?

But there was no denying it—she had trusted him. She would have trusted him with anything. In a way, she still did; it was kinda obvious with how strong her feelings were towards him, though it wasn't enough to make her stop and turn back and find him. Instead she ran on, the trees around her scratching and her skin and clothes, making her bleed and ripping the fabrics. Clamping her eyes shut for a moment, she cursed at herself as she continued, beginning to see just how stupid she was.

Even with all that people had done to her through her life...

Kiken had still fallen in love with Itachi.


	21. Chapter 21

The war had been pushed aside and forgotten by the people of the valley.

Well…almost.

Seifu had wanted the war; the villagers themselves weren't from ninja villages. They lived simple lives; working on the farms, in the shops, and existing just as many other villages did, in the valley and otherwise. They had no wish to expand their 'empire', gaining control over Hoshi valley and then going on from there. The villagers themselves got on with all that lived within the valley, and although they knew of the rivalry that had been going on; it was mostly between those with wealth; with the power in the village. As Seifu had this power, the men hadn't had a choice but to fight in the war, though it hadn't been something they had wanted.

The stories were still there, however, floating around as they passed outside and as people tried to recover from it all, and for those who had been small children when the war had been taking place, the questions were always around as to what had gone on. People outside of the valley might not have cared what had gone on back then, but it was a big thing in the history of Hoshi valley—though not a good thing—and therefore the children wanted to know about something that wasn't too long ago. That they began to comprehend more and more as they grew up.

Seifu's children and the children of his higher ups had been no exception.

Considering they had been in mid-adolescence during the war, knowing their fathers had died after having such power over the valley; they wanted to know everything. They had looked up to their fathers and seen them as role models. Without their fathers, the valley would have been nothing. They had built it up from a few tiny hamlets and made them into what they were today. They had fought for the valley; done whatever they could to get the valley the respect and glory it deserved.

But somehow they had lost it. Now the war was over, Seifu had been pushed to the back of people's minds and almost one more thing about that time that the villagers tried to forget. After all he had done for them…and they dismissed him like he had been nothing. Like he had practically been a stranger to the valley. There should have been a riot after what happened; a mourning that should have taken over the whole village and beyond. Instead everyone merely went on with their lives without another thought towards them.

Though that was about to change.

They had taken the chance—while they had still been considered children—to ask all the questions they wanted to know. Being the sons of the men who had started the war and had been the leaders of the village and knowing how much respect and adoration they felt towards their fathers, their mothers had obliged, not knowing what was truly going on in all of their heads. Not knowing they all took it as a personal thing; that they thought it wasn't right—and they were ready to do something about that fact. They all agreed, when it came down to it, and they still had the wealth and high status of their fathers before them. The opportunity was in front of them, so why not take it?

So having gathered together, they'd gone off to look at the only remaining thing that truly came from the war. It had been away from the battlefield, needing to be hidden, but had strangely crumbled anyway. With the villagers wanting to forget the war, they had left it alone, and it had merely collapsed, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble. A huge amount of people had died back then, and to have something like that still there, no one went near it. They considered it to have a curse, and those who didn't share that view, just saw it as a bad memory. It _had_ been the hideout and control centre for the ninjas and others in the war; the orders had been sent out from there, so there was no need for it anymore. It just brought about bad things, nothing else.

To a man who saw his father as a hero, however, and considered what he did to be the greatest thing the village and valley had ever seen, it was a building where history had taken place. Where things had taken a giant leap forward for the better. And where things had wrongfully been destroyed to ruins. They weren't afraid of heading to the building; it was a necessary stop in the whole scheme of it all. Well, _their_ scheme. At that point in time, there wasn't much they could do, but they wanted to get a good look around at least, and then they could go from there.

A few minutes later and they had arrived, and an automatic scowl appeared on their faces at what the building had become. A hiding place for small animals; a heap of debris that plants were beginning to grow over no one had been there so long. A mere shadow of its former being. A place that had been forgotten unjustly, and that need to be remembered; needed to be brought back into the minds of the villagers who had brushed it aside and left it to rot like the recollections of the war.

Like their father's memory.

Because that was their plan. The respect and glory that Seifu and the others had tried to build up for the valley had been struck down, and the idea of doing so again had been swept away into the darkness. But that didn't meant it was gone. No; that was exactly what they were thinking of doing. That dream wasn't going to die with their fathers; the second generation would take their place, and this time nothing was going to happen that would stop it from occurring. The circumstances back then had been strange; a once in a lifetime thing that wouldn't happen again, and they could take advantage of that. No one would know what they were doing until it was too late. Until they had complete control.

Walking around the ruins, they cleared away the plants from areas and began piecing together how the building had been stationed before. Then they could get the tools they needed, and the building could be rebuilt. It might take time, it was true, but it would be utterly worth it in the end. They could restore the glory that had been taken away from their fathers back then; then Seifu could get the due respect he had deserved when the war had begun and had been carried out. Staring at the sight before them, the dream played out in all their heads as they imagined what it would be like.

When it was cut short as something sped into the clearing.

Kiken hadn't been going in any specific direction, and had been too busy looking behind her to see if anyone was chasing to notice the group of people standing in the clearing up ahead. To notice just what the ruins were; what they had been. But the combination of not paying attention of what was in front of her, and the shock of it all as she finally saw the clearing up ahead, meant that she couldn't stop herself as she tripped, tumbling across the floor to land at the feet of the people standing there.

Her fear didn't decrease as she saw who it was; they looked just like their fathers.

They all stared at her in shock, without a clue as to who she was or what she was doing there. Her skin was covered in scratches, her breathing was heavy and her clothes torn, though she had to be a ninja with the speed at which she was running. Looking her over, they tried to figure out where she might have come from, when Seifu's son halted. He hadn't truly known about the power his father had said would help them win the war. But he knew little things. That a person was in control of it, that it was stronger than anything. That it carried a symbol—a symbol which he had been shown.

A symbol which was just about visible on the small of her back where her clothes were torn.

Staring at her in disbelief and in pure glee, thanking anything and everything for the good luck he was having and the gift that had just been presented to him, he didn't look at anyone but Kiken, too enraptured by her to explain to his friends what was going on, merely whispering in malicious excitement,

"Kiken…"


	22. Chapter 22

Kiken instantly retreated into herself, knowing that look well.

His friends all turned to look at him, questioning as to what the hell was going on. They knew that name, but couldn't quite remember where it was from, and not what it had to do with her, either. But whatever it was, he seemed to know what he was doing and as such didn't try to challenge what he was doing or why he seemed so interested in this girl. Sure, she seemed different, but that was no reason for him to be acting like he was. At least, that was what it seemed like until he turned to them all, that same sly smile on his face to laugh darkly, adding once he had finished,

"Don't you remember? Kiken was the one my father always said was in control of the power; and that the power carried a symbol, right? That symbol right there, tattooed on her back. She's the one with the power. She's the weapon—the one my father said would be able to win the war single-handedly."

There was that word again. Weapon. Never warrior; ninja. Just weapon—as if she were on the same kind of level as a kunai; something you could pick up, fight with, then replace in its holster and put in a corner until it was needed again. How many times had people referred to her that way? Kiken had thought it had stopped; that she wouldn't have to deal with people saying that's all she was; and yet here she was, sitting there not only in the same area, but with the second generation of people who had started it in the first place. She should have known returning to Hoshi valley was a bad idea.

Now Kiken didn't know where to turn. Before she was safe in the knowledge that she could travel as far from Hoshi valley as she wanted and never set foot their again. Even when she had been with the Akatsuki she had known she had Itachi there; to help and support her through it. But he wasn't there anymore. No; now _he_ was coming after her as well. There was no one to help her, and she was alone in the same way she had been in the beginning. Only this time she was starting to think it was worse. She knew and understood more about her situation than she had done as a child, and she was familiar with it all. Bad memories would only be added to and twisted to make them worse.

Any strength Kiken had thought she might have built up over the years she had lived away from the valley left her with this thought, and her muscles sagged. With Seifu she hadn't fought back; to try and break away from him, because she hadn't felt there was anything else out there for her. Seifu had given her a purpose—of sorts—and as such she had stayed. When leaving the valley it had changed, true, but she had still had one. However, with the circumstances around Kiken; with the situation that had been placed in front of her...it was like reliving the past. There was no longer anything out in the world for her.

When even Itachi considered her a weapon, why bother trying to fight?

Kiken couldn't even bring herself to look up as they now came over, keeping her gaze glued to the floor forlornly. The men all circled round her, on their toes as they knew how powerful she was. But upon seeing her reaction; taking in her injuries and the way she was holding herself—just slumped into the ground, submitting herself to whatever would happen next—they relaxed a little and fully approached her. Grins flickered onto their faces as they got closer at the realisation she didn't have the inner strength to do anything to them; she was merely a tool to be honed and trained for what they wanted.

Luck really _was_ on their side at the moment.

Grabbing Kiken's arms, they tied them together just in case, before nudging her forcefully to get her moving. Swallowing slightly at the eerie way she responded, they did nothing as she got up herself, making no noise or protestations whatsoever, still refusing to meet their gaze. It was like she had turned into a blank slate; no emotion was on her face, or even in her eyes; not even her body language could be read in order to figure out what she was thinking or feeling. The men were all incredibly happy at having found her, knowing they now had the key to their plans; but there was still something strange about her that they couldn't shake off—but they couldn't think about it now, and pushed her onwards.

Seifu's son still lived in the mansion where Kiken herself had when younger, and there remained a few prison cells in the basement of it. For the moment, they came round the back of the house and in through the back door, not wanting to reveal her presence until they had her safely within the house. A cell was the best place to keep Kiken for now—there was still a risk that something might happen—and going along to the end of the rows of cells, they threw her in the last in the line, in the farthest corner of the basement. She made no noise as the force made her fall to her knees, merely moving until she was cross-legged, turning and facing the wall in complete silence. Glancing at each other at how weirdly she was acting, they backed away slowly from the cell as they locked it, shivers running up their spines, and left as quickly as possible. She might have been the power they needed to get the respect and glory they wanted—but she was creepy, to say the least.

Once Kiken heard their footsteps fade as they walked up the stairs and back into the main part of the building, her shoulders drooped. Though her expression stayed apathetic, she didn't appear as strong as she had before, shuffling towards the corner, where she tucked her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. The overwhelming darkness; the cold and the pain meant nothing to her; she could deal with all the outside factors. It was just the inside ones that were causing all the trouble, and she clamped her eyes shut tightly as they increased in intensity.

Whether they were open or closed, it didn't matter; it couldn't shut out what was in her head. But she had to try something; anything that would allow her to carry on. The cycle was happening all over again; she remembered every part to the mansion and the way the cells were set out in here. In any other circumstances, she might have easily been able to figure out its weak points, the easiest way out of there that would allow her to escape without anyone noticing and slip away swiftly. However, they weren't the circumstances Kiken was in now—and she wasn't in any state to be doing anything to get herself out.

What did it matter? Kiken was beginning to realise things she should have done years ago; regardless of whether in the valley or otherwise. She was always going to be a weapon to those around her, really. Nothing could change that fact. She might have wanted it more than anything in the world; for someone to just see her for who she was inside, but it was never going to happen. When Itachi had been around, it had seemed possible; maybe even probable to Kiken. As usual she had let her stupid, idealistic, childish fantasies get to her, and she had given into her hopes.

They weren't reality, though. They weren't the truth. Sitting in a cell, scratched, bruised and bleeding in the house she had once lived in, about to be controlled by the son of the man who had done so to begin with—that was the truth. That was all Kiken had to believe in now; what else was there to focus on? Naturally, at this point, Itachi popped up into her head, and conversations she had had with him ran through her mind. When she had been with him, it had seemed like there was nothing she couldn't do. That if there were problems, he would solve them and it would be okay.

But there was one problem that would always remain. Kiken didn't know whether she had been born to a woman and a man; or she had been created from something else entirely. Because of that, she was always different; isolated. She wasn't _human_. Even if she had the willpower to break free; to get away, it wouldn't make anything different, would it? No one would want her. It might have felt like Itachi had; that she could fall in love with him knowing that he would feel the same; but it wasn't true. Why would he want her? But with that question, a tear ran down her face; something else flashing through her mind.

If that was the case...why did she even bother living anymore?


	23. Chapter 23

The Akatsuki had searched for Kiken the rest of the day, and they hadn't found her.

She'd left tracks—pretty much everywhere—but they were incredibly hard to follow. Some looped round on themselves and it looked like she was going in circles; others stopped dead and then restarted a few metres away in another direction. It had gotten to the point where none of them could even tell if Kiken was doing it on purpose or not; whether it was her fear and paranoia influencing how she was running, or whether it was planned in order to keep them from following her. After all, she had the ability to disappear easily. With what they had just found out, she had the ability to do a _lot _of things!

But Itachi wasn't feeling the same way.

It had to be accidental; when she had first run off, that had been in the same way any other person would have done out of fear. The fact she was in Hoshi valley only made it worse, and had heightened the way she was fleeing from them all. Ultimately, when this paranoia was combined with Kiken's power, it suddenly became tricky to figure out; which only made it harder in what everyone was supposed to do. She was being purposeful and accidental at the same time, and she didn't even know she was doing it in the first place. How in the hell was he supposed to find her?

Then abruptly something came to him, and shaking off the stupor he had gotten himself in to, he skidded to a halt as the tracks he had been following stopped in the ruins of a building. Gritting his teeth at another dead end, Itachi contemplated all the places she might consider running to when the very surroundings were making things worse—and he realised he was thinking over it all from the wrong perspective. The others were following tracks that were impossible to read, and that clearly wasn't getting them anywhere. He himself had paused, but standing there thinking about the different places Kiken might go to get away wouldn't bring about a conclusion, either.

Itachi knew her; and knew her well. He might have been able to guess what kind of place she'd hide to avoid people, but there were two issues with this. The first being that she wasn't thinking straight. Kiken wasn't considering a list of places she could go to hide from Itachi and the rest of the Akatsuki; she was thinking about what she had in front of her. About running; so there was no point looking at it all from that angle. The second problem was something that appeared in Itachi's mind as he considered his relationship with Kiken; was she really trying to avoid him?

Closing his eyes, Itachi frowned at that thought, ignoring the wind that suddenly blew up around him, swirling through his clothes and hair. He needed to concentrate. Kiken was confused, scared and unsure. She had been for the majority of her life, but it had come fully to the surface now. But she didn't know how to deal with it. She hadn't wanted to fight for Seifu, take part in the war or kill all those people that day, but as she hadn't known how to deal with the emotions; with what was going on, she hadn't tried to fight back. Protesting had always been the last thing on her mind—no one had ever let her think about her own opinions.

From what she had done to the battlefield, and how Kiken hadn't been able to look at it when they had arrived, Itachi gathered that she wanted to accept all that had occurred back then; she wanted to accept the shame she felt for having let all of it go on. Maybe that had been why she had dismissed the reluctance she had felt when Itachi had first explained about the mission; because she wanted to do something that would allow her to move on from her past. But because of this want; when she had become friends with the Akatsuki—when she had come to see that connection she had with Itachi—Kiken had thought that he would be able to aid her. The silent understanding that underlined their friendship was one Kiken was clinging to, and though she was overwhelmed now that she thought Itachi wanted to treat her like Seifu had done, she still wanted to believe Itachi had all the answers. That he would know what to do and help her get through it.

Of course she didn't want to truly leave; Hoshi valley haunted her wherever Kiken was. Problems had surfaced during her life, true; but she had never had to think them over, because someone had constantly been there, telling her what to do and how to act. She may not have liked them, but they had given her answers. From all Seifu had done to her; how Kiken had been treated, she had no clue of her own beliefs and views on things in life—she almost didn't consider herself worthy enough to carry her own opinion. An expectation of someone ordering her to do something had been drilled into her from the beginning, and it was still there now. Leaving the valley wasn't an option now for Kiken now; with the memories running through her head, she was in too much of a self-destructive mood to go anywhere.

Opening his eyes and gazing at the debris around him, Itachi scowled, and then began contacting Pein. Kiken was staying nearby somewhere—though he didn't know where—and he doubted they would be finding her any time soon. But they had to find her; and find her fast. The stability of Kiken's mind wouldn't be too great right about now, and if she stumbled onto anyone who knew or found out what she could do, she wouldn't be in any position to try and stop them from taking control of her.

With Itachi's news, however, the Akatsuki decided to call it a night; it was obvious they weren't going to be getting any results today, and it was better to rest up; think things over before they continued again in the morning. Finding out Kiken's story was big enough to begin with—almost to the point of being unable to believe it. Murmuring to themselves about this fact, the Akatsuki began to head back to the hideout, leaving Itachi ambling slowly after them, sighing inwardly.

He hadn't found it hard to believe in the slightest; Kiken had something within her that was stronger than anyone he'd met; he'd seen it the moment he'd met her, and the feeling had merely increased the more he got to know her. As such it hadn't been that surprising to find out the power she had when Kiken finally revealed it all. The only issue was how it had been dealt with during her life. Looking back on what Kiken had told him, Itachi was beginning to see just how far her situation went. Kiken had never seen it as _her_ power; whether it had been Seifu or another guy on the battlefield, it had always been controlled by someone else, and she hadn't ever had a say in the matter. If anything, she never even saw herself as a person to begin with;

And he hadn't made things easier.

Everything he had done had been genuine with Kiken; he understood her and she understood him, even without having had to talk about it. They had developed a friendship; one that had been stronger than any Itachi had ever had before in his life, and he had known she was different. She was so beautiful; her eyes were always so intense...denying those thoughts wouldn't do him any good; there wasn't much Itachi could do to get rid of them. But hearing what they had done to her had made him angrier than he had been in a while; the idea of hurting someone like Kiken—he hated it.

But he had made her think the wrong thing; made her think that he was trying to control her; to hurt her. The last thing in the world he wanted was to hurt her. Telling the Akatsuki the situation had been something he had been reluctant about; there was no way he would ever let her get into the same situation that had occurred before. But he had been stupid enough to not explain anything. He had made her run off. And if she ran into someone who was willing to take advantage of her, Itachi might have made her lose hope completely.

Which is why he was so relieved to hear what he did the next morning.


	24. Chapter 24

At least that was one of the good things about being in a small valley like Hoshi valley.

The population was made up of mostly normal civilians; with normal, simple jobs. Even if there were those who wanted to become ninjas, they either left, or once they had become one, they used it as a second job only. Ultimately, that meant there was no one to revolt if something was going on that would take over the valley. If there was a plan to create tyranny that would engulf everything there, no one would have the skills in order to do anything about it.

As such, Seifu's son didn't really feel the need to keep his plan from anyone.

Now they had Kiken. She was locked up in a cell back at the mansion, and no one could get to her—she was safe from other villagers trying to take her. None of them were even going to attempt to do anything, and they merely wandered around their village, casually bragging about all that was to come. Their power now overtook anyone within the valley and miles outside of it, and there wasn't anything any of them could do about it. It would only take them a couple of months and they would be able to build up a group of ninjas, and from there they could extend their hold on the land. The Hoshi valley name would once again have glory associated with it; it would gain respect from the villages around it.

Naturally, however, the villagers weren't exactly too pleased with this.

The war had been the source of enough problems; caused a huge amount of deaths and left the villages still recovering even after the years had passed. It had marred the history of the valley—something that could never be reversed—and they had no wish to start the whole situation up again. The valley wouldn't be able to take it and would only end up getting destroyed; the population of the valley being the middle man in it all. Seifu hadn't been particularly popular with the villagers back then, and his son was seen in a similar way; he was the spitting image whether physically or personality-wise.

When the war had stopped so strangely on that one day, although it had been sad to know there were no survivors, it had also been a miracle, in a way. At that point it was all over, and there would be no more worry about what might happen when either side won. But that circumstance occurring had been one in a million—a circumstance that had practically no chance of happening again. There were no ninjas to try and stop it from happening, and no one with the influence to negotiate with them all. The more the group boasted about their plans for the near future, the more the villagers began to worry about the whole thing becoming true this time; for it to fully overwhelm the valley...and the outside of it too. Who was going to stop it otherwise?

But the more Kisame heard of this boasting from Seifu's son as he passed into the village to get some stuff, the bigger his grin got. The Akatsuki hadn't made themselves known when they had talked with the man who had fought during the war; and that meant that Seifu's son hadn't a clue they existed. He didn't know they wanted Kiken to join their group; they had just taken the opportunity when she must have stumbled upon them while running away. _That_ was why her tracks had stopped dead and disappeared off when around the ruins of that building. They had been looking around there, Kiken had appeared, and they had merely grabbed her while they could.

Kisame wasted no more time and headed straight back to the hideout.

"Itachi! I know where Kiken is! Well, sort of." Kisame greeted, his smile still evident as he burst into Itachi's room. Normally Itachi might have mentioned the fact Kisame had neglected to knock, but with this information, everything was forgotten about from Kisame's words. Taking a step towards him, he had to ask for it to be repeated, and, with other members of the Akatsuki—including Pein—appearing after hearing what was going on, Kisame explained what he'd heard.

If Itachi had been anyone else, he might have hugged Kisame in joy. Though his worry about Kiken's welfare and mental state were still there; the hope that he might be able to make things better flared back into life within him, and only increased with time as he suddenly realised something. Turning to Kisame and asking what the guy's name had been—what he looked like—Kisame obliged and told him what he remembered, and this time, Itachi couldn't smother the smirk that flickered on his face. Questioning as to what he seemed so happy about, Itachi responded triumphantly,

"I know where Kiken is—in the literal sense." Blinking in surprise at how he knew as Kisame had only heard and known that she was being held by those guys somewhere, Itachi began to elaborate on his statement, staring directly ahead of him as he thought things through,

"With what you've told me, Kisame...that's Seifu's son. That means he lives in the mansion—the place where Kiken used to live—and that's where he's keeping her. Even if the villagers knew there are cells in the house, they wouldn't know the 'power' he's mentioning is a person, so he's fine with telling them."

"They don't know about us being here...they don't know we want Kiken to join...and they won't suspect us if we go and get her out, un." Deidara added, a sly grin coming onto his face at the idea he'd finally be able to fight.

Itachi immediately turned to Pein at this. Deidara was right; none of the villagers were ninjas, so there would be no escape attempts; no one knew the whole situation apart from them. Seifu's son wouldn't know what hit him if they turned up to break her out of whatever prison they'd placed Kiken in. With their numbers overwhelming them, the fact that the entirety of the Akatsuki were S-class criminals, they had the element of surprise and practically every advantage over the others, it wouldn't take long for the battle to be over and for Kiken to be released.

But Pein had paused, and Itachi gritted his teeth at that sign.

Looking over his body language and the way he was reacting, Itachi could guess what he was thinking. He wanted them all to plan things out a little more than just heading up there and barging straight in. He wanted them to be cautious; Seifu had started the war back then, and for all they knew he had scrolls and documents about them in the house. There could be things up there they didn't know about and would give them some kind of advantage. Not to mention they had the advantage of having Kiken herself. Pein knew how strongly Itachi felt about her, and that he might not think as clearly as before when it came down to her safety. But he needed Kiken as a member—think of how much strength; how much power they would gain if she joined...

"Come on, Leader. Kiken helped us before; even when she hated the idea of coming back here—you saw it yourself. The least we can do is repay her a little. And Kiken's been hanging out with us for that long; whereas right now she's stuck in a cell in the house she used to live in with her—well, _dictator_. If Itachi talks to her; explains what's going on with her joining us...she'll be fine." Kisame suddenly cut in, and snapping their gazes round to him, Pein remained silent for a moment, before Pein broke his gaze first, sighing imperceptibly and saying simply,

"Fine. I doubt I could stop you all, anyway."

The grins now catching on to all the Akatsuki with those words, they all turned and headed outside, murmuring amongst themselves at what direction they should come at to the mansion; whether the boys had headed back there already or they'd be able to sneak in and out without being seen at all. Pein hesitated in following, but eventually shook his head and decided to, wanting to keep an eye on things and...although he wouldn't admit it, see if Kiken was okay.

Itachi stayed silent the entire time. With what Kisame had said, thoughts were beginning to surface, and he wasn't sure how to react to them. He was glad—_really_ glad—that Pein had agreed to let them all go on this mission straight away without having to wait. Who knows what might have happened if they had done? But at the same time, worry began to build up in the pit of his stomach, even more so than how it had been before. More than anything right now, he wanted to get Kiken out of there. He wanted her to be happy and to join the Akatsuki—to work with him.

He just had to hope she would be willing to listen and agree with him.


	25. Chapter 25

Though the Akatsuki weren't sure whether anyone was in the mansion at the time, they still decided to go in from the back. After doing a quick check over the building, they found no cells, and no signs of Kiken; meaning that there was obviously a basement. Seifu's son _had_ decided to head back to the house, but apart from a few of his friends, there was no one else there, meaning it wasn't about to be a difficult fight. They just had to make sure they could get Kiken out of there safely without letting them hurt her in anyway.

Itachi was already planning what he could say to Kiken. If he said the wrong thing he could make it worse, and she might not want to go with them out of mistrust or fear. The idea that the trust he had built up with her over the past few days had been destroyed was bad enough, but to see the look in her eyes; to see the fear as she ran away from him...He didn't want anything to go wrong. He had to explain fully what had happened, but do it quickly. He had to explain that the Akatsuki weren't going to treat her like anyone else had done in her life; like Seifu had, but still persuade her to leave with them within the space of a few minutes. He had to make her understand what had gone on; but not be too forceful with it all.

This was going to be _tough_.

And overall, Itachi hadn't a clue as to what he was going to say.

Abruptly he was brought out of his stupor as he was nudged in the shoulder and told they were heading inside now. Nodding in acceptance of that fact, Itachi did nothing more as they advanced towards the building, and after a second's pause, broke in through one of the windows and got everyone inside. There was no need to remain quiet; regardless of whether they were quiet or loud, the mission was going to go smoothly. The majority of them all were going to confront those within the house, while Itachi headed into the basement to find Kiken, anyway, so the whole aim was for them to be heard.

Something that was proven a minute later as a couple of guys headed towards the noise, widening their eyes in surprise at what they met as they came to the end of the corridor, and the fight instantly begun. With the amount of people fighting—along with Itachi's natural affinity for stealth—he managed to slip away quickly, and began searching the place thoroughly. When he couldn't find her, he clenched his fists, just about ready to punch something, when he realised what he was doing and calmed himself, looking a lot more closely this time, and a moment later he found the entrance to the basement. Staying silent this time, he slipped in and down the stairs, turning on the light he found there and glancing around the place.

It was dark, damp and depressing, and there were two rows of cells extending towards the back of the basement. Flicking his gaze over the first two, he saw no one in either of them, and continued onto the next. Once again he was met with nothing, and sighing softly in irritation, he continued on down the corridor, empty cell after empty cell appearing before him as he did so. He had thought she would be down here. They wouldn't have needed to hide her thoroughly when no one knew who Kiken truly was or what she could do; so why hide her anywhere else? Unless they'd been more paranoid than that; hidden her somewhere more isolated.

Itachi gritted his teeth with that realisation as he reached the end of the corridor, glaring at both cells. It wasn't until his eyes alighted on something in one of the end cells that he halted and looked again. At first thinking it was just something that had been in there to accommodate any prisoners that would be placed in there, Itachi widened his eyes in disbelieving surprise as he saw it was Kiken. Smothering a sigh of relief, he stepped closer, his joy at having found her disappearing momentarily as he noticed she was curled up, facing the corner, her face covered by her hair and her body language revealing she had all about given up.

Kiken sensed it was him as he stepped closer—but she couldn't be bothered to care anymore. What did it matter? There was no hope for her in any aspect of her life, and she wasn't about to try to do anything. Even though sobs began to rise in her throat, feeling more like crying than she had done in years as her feelings for Itachi wanted to override her thoughts, she pushed it away and remained where she was, curling even further into herself. He was just going to lie to her—wasn't he? Kiken wished he wasn't with all his might, but tried to stop herself from raising her hopes up. She couldn't take them being knocked down anymore.

Seeing how down she was, any plans of what he might say to her upon arrival vanished from his mind. That didn't mean he was left speechless, however; abruptly all hesitation as to how to go about it dissipated, and he felt so much calmer. It didn't matter what he was supposed to be doing with his words; he just had to say what he felt.

"Kiken; please. I'm sorry. I know what you thought when you told me your story and ran away; and I'm sorry I made you think that. Because it's not what I meant at all." He was improvising all of this, but it felt right; what more could he do but be honest? Kiken tried to keep herself facing the wall, not looking at him; but a part of her began listening—clutching at any chance that she might have got it wrong as Itachi went on,

"When I said that—I meant I was sorry for what had happened to you; you should never have had to go through what you have. I wish I could do something to reverse it; to make all of it go away, Kiken, I really do."

She couldn't stop herself anymore, and found herself slowly turning to face him, pushing her hair out of her face and staring at him in disbelief. There was no dishonesty in his eyes, body or tone of voice, his gaze glued to the floor as he spoke, and Kiken's eyes began to tear up once again at the idea that what she had hoped for was true. Then Itachi's voice suddenly softened as he breathed,

"We don't want to use you as a weapon, Kiken. We want you to be another member, like I am—like all of us are. We're not trying to control you and force you to do things you don't want to do. I—I can't force you to come with us, and if you really don't want to come, I will help you get away—just like I said last time. I'll help you escape; to run." Now the tears spilled over, running down her face as she shuffled forward and up to the bars, whispering,

"Really?"

Flinging his eyes up to meet hers, seeing the emotion in her eyes and face, he nodded slowly, smirking sweetly back at her; she'd been through enough already—he wasn't about to make her go through anymore. Knowing what she had been worrying about; what she had been thinking of while she sat in here, he remained smirking at her, adding,

"It doesn't matter what anyone has said to you over the years, Kiken, or even now; you're not a weapon. You're a human being with thoughts, feelings and the right to make your own choices. You deserve better than what you've received in life."

Pulling herself closer to the bars, Kiken's tears slowly stopped as something else took over; anticipation. His words made her happy; incredibly so, but there was something underneath it all; something that made her heartbeat increase rapidly and her throat go dry. Pausing for a moment, unsure what the answer would be, she whispered hesitantly,

"Why would you do all that for me, Itachi? Why say all that?"

Itachi glanced away at her questions, not certain as to how he should answer them. But his mind answered for him; he found he couldn't stop himself; words were bubbling to his lips without even passing through the rational part of his mind first. As such, he wasn't able to halt as he began,

"Because I...I—"

But he never got to finish his sentence.


	26. Chapter 26

Moving to the side, Itachi watched as the kunai that had been headed straight for him went between the bars and into the shadows of the cell, Kiken having been ready for it as well and having moved easily out of the way. Narrowing his eyes at it as it fell, its harsh metal clang sounding out into the silent prison, he knew he had lost his chance to say anything more now and focused on what was appearing behind him. At least this way he was safe in the knowledge that Kiken would be safe—none of them wanted her to get hurt, though his motives may have been slightly more poignant than those of his attackers.

The Akatsuki hadn't had much of a battle with the men, just as they had expected. The only thing that marred this fact was the disappearance of Seifu's son. One minute he had been fighting them all, and when they turned to the others and back again, he had vanished. It took only a moment's consideration to figure out where he had gone, however; he wanted Kiken. He wanted to use her power to take over the valley and beyond—it was why he had kidnapped her and been bragging about it in the village, after all. Their appearance in the house couldn't be coincidental with just having taking Kiken, and abruptly his actions changed.

What do you do when your house is on fire?

You save what is most precious to you.

And in his case—it was Kiken.

Within seconds they had finished off the rest of the so called 'guards' and had followed his path down to the prison. Worry about Itachi's welfare wasn't necessary; out of everyone, he was the _least_ likely to be caught off guard, let alone by a guy of that calibre. It was what he might do concerning Kiken that made them apprehensive, and as such the sped down the stairs, being confronted with the image of Itachi standing near Kiken's cell, and Kiken within it. Seeing her like that wasn't much of a surprise, however; they had all noticed how much time they spent together during the journey. If anyone was going to convince Kiken of what was happening, it was going to be him. Seifu's son, however, was the only one who didn't seem slightly amused at this development, having thrown the kunai, pointing accusatorily at Itachi to scream angrily,

"Stay the hell away from her!"

"Why? So you can follow in your father's footsteps and force a young girl to your whim? Some aspiration." Itachi said levelly in return, causing the Akatsuki to all glance at each other in surprise.

That wasn't the sort of thing they expected from Itachi. He remained calm in battle, not bothering with insults or much talking at all, for that matter. He concentrated on the fight, analysing their movements for a couple of minutes before he gained the opportunity to place them under a genjutsu. From there, things didn't last long, and his opponents were soon taken care of. His personality wasn't like Kisame's—he didn't relish the idea of a battle, taunting his assailants at every available chance. But now he appeared to be doing just that; mocking Seifu's son, an almost aggressive look on his face.

Then the fact it was Kiken standing next to him was remembered, and it all made sense.

"Excuse me? What right do you have to ridicule my father like that—you don't even come from around here! My father brought glory to this village and was a great leader. He—"

"Started a war that nobody—not even those who were made to fight in it—wanted; ultimately causing a huge number of deaths and destroying the before peace that had always reigned. It brought nothing but desecration to the land and an ominous atmosphere—not glory. Why? Because of some stupid wish to have control over this valley. I may not come from round here, and you're right. There's no need for me to ridicule him. From what I hear from the villagers, he got enough ridiculing as it was." Itachi quickly shot back, the Akatsuki barely managed to smother laughs at what he was doing.

Feeling more and more enraged with every word Itachi spoke, having had all his beliefs and aspirations mocked and jeered at in one go, Seifu's son was beginning to lose his temper. All people seemed to do was dismiss him; like he didn't matter. Like none of his life or the life of his father mattered. So for so many years he had been determined to prove them wrong. To do something about it and finished what Seifu had started. It didn't matter that these guys had turned up out of nowhere, and were clearly high level ninjas. Kiken was still in no condition just to run off, and there was no way in _hell_ he was going to be treated like that by someone like this guy. He was younger than him; he just stood there, calmly as anything, acting as if he was nothing to care about. No; he wouldn't let him act like this without getting something in return.

Kiken had done nothing this entire time. It wasn't just the Akatsuki who had noticed Itachi's change in attitude; it had been her as well. That in itself was making her pause in contemplation, but it was the thought that followed that truly put her into silence. She shouldn't be thinking about how his attitude had changed—it was why. There had to be something that was making him act like this, and when a suggestion flickered through her mind, she couldn't help but feel slightly better at it.

What if it was because of her? With what he had been saying…the way he was standing next to her now…it seemed possible. He was protecting her; an action that wasn't one Kiken came across often. The only protection she could remember having was people not wanting her to get hurt because of their own wishes. Itachi was doing it because he wanted her to be safe. Because he didn't want Seifu's son to control her. All that she had thought before when running away was beginning to slip from her mind, and staring up at Itachi, she considered the two feelings that had been dominating her life for the past couple of days;

The fear, guilt and shame at the memories of the war; of being in the valley and battlefield.

And her feelings towards Itachi.

The latter had only been building up recently, but they were still there. They were a lot stronger than many other emotions she had dealt with through the course of her life, and it was these two things that were now competing for her attention. Her fear had caused her to be taken to the mansion; to start to be controlled by Seifu's son once again—to run away from Itachi when he had responded to her story.

But it had been her feelings towards Itachi that had given her the strength; the courage to return to Hoshi valley to begin with. Even before she had truly begun conversing and getting closer to him, he had had this effect on her. The very first moment they met she had felt that silent understanding and knew he was like her; that they were connected in their similarities, and the idea he was strong with them made Kiken feel she could be the same. Then the journey had started, and though she had run away at one point, Itachi had found her and made her feel better. Made her realise that she could do this; and that he would be there to support her; to give her her own choice in the matter.

It was why she had been so upset upon thinking Itachi wanted her power as well.

Tensing as something else caught her attention, she looked up at Seifu's son, seeing the expression on his face and the way he held himself, and knew exactly what he was going to do. Turning her gaze to Itachi, she cried out his name as the handsigns were finished, and sensing Itachi's dodge might not be enough, Kiken unleashed enough chakra from her hand to push him back even further, slamming through a wall on the opposite side and disappearing for the moment, the smoke from the explosion not helping much. Kiken couldn't see the result of what had happened; whether Itachi was alive; but looking down at her hands and realising what she'd done, Kiken's gaze hardened as her eyes passed over Seifu's son.

It was her feelings for Itachi that won out.


	27. Chapter 27

Whatever Kiken's abilities had been used for, it had been a bad thing.

When she trained, she had to kill whatever clone or dummy was placed in front of her; she had to destroy any target and go farther and faster than anyone with normal techniques to make sure that killing was easy. Then the war had come, and it had only gotten worse—Seifu had started it to begin with because he knew of Kiken's powers. She was being forced to massacre people that had always lived in peace—that didn't even really want a war to take place. But even that she could have handled if it wasn't for when those within the groups started fighting each other.

She had grown to hate what she could do as a ninja; but had been trapped in a self-destructive circle knowing that it was all she was good for. It was why she had been created—so what point was there in trying to do something else? It was her destiny. Kiken would have no purpose and no reason in her life if she did. As such, even when she had left the valley she had continued doing ninja missions; of course, she had much more freedom this time, but there was only so much choice she could have. She needed money for food and necessities, and by trying to do as little fighting as possible, she wouldn't get enough. Because that was what she had been fighting for. Survival. Her beliefs never showed up in her reason for a battle, because they had never mattered.

But looking around at the situation around her, things were beginning to change.

While travelling around with the Akatsuki, she had been spoken to like any other ninja out there. They asked for her opinion, and wanted to know what she believed in. Her doubts and worries kept her from truly doing so, but then Kiken had bumped into Itachi during those walks—falling into conversation—and those doubts had started to fade. Suddenly it felt like she could adapt to the outside world, and finally be like the people she saw around her. He had started up a flame of hope within her; slowly bringing Kiken out of the shell that she had been forced into from the moment she was born.

It had been all that had gone on upon reaching the valley that had stopped her from fully lighting that flame of hope, and for her to forget all that Itachi had been showing her. Maybe it was now; now that it gave the impression that things were at the end; that they were coming back to her. Itachi was hurt, and for all she knew, dead, and Kiken couldn't help but think of all he had said to her; all that had helped her continue through things that had made life so hard. Even more so; the most recent words he had spoken, when they had been alone together just then. Words that had seemed to have been bubbling up within him for a while, but he had never had the chance to fully say them.

Though now he had; and they were all Kiken could concentrate on.

She was her own person; with her own opinions...unusual concepts to Kiken, but her life would have appeared as unusual to anyone who knew about her story. The hope that what she had thought about Itachi and the Akatsuki was wrong and the fact he was revealing all this to her had meant that Kiken had clung onto his words, not truly paying attention to them. But now Itachi could be injured—maybe even seriously so—and it was only now that she was focusing on them properly. Because all this time Itachi had been trying to tell her something, and she had ignored it completely. His polite and kind treatment towards her—the connection Kiken felt—it had overwhelmed her to the point where things hadn't embedded themselves in her memory. However, this time, her mind was clear. Her feelings were still as strong as ever.

And she was beginning to realise.

It was like she had been looking through a film her whole life; she had been able to see everything, but it hadn't been in perfect detail. Things had been distorted somehow, disguising the truth and hiding so much from Kiken. For so long she had considered her abilities to be a curse. Why shouldn't they have been, after all, with all that they had done? But maybe—just maybe—if she stepped back, took a look at things from a different perspective, took Itachi's words into account...then the power inside of her might also be considered a gift.

There were things she valued in life; and didn't want innocent people to get hurt—not after what she had seen in the war; how it had affected the villagers so much. Kiken had grown to admire and respect the Akatsuki as friends and as colleagues. Not to mention, now that Itachi was on the scene, she valued and cared for him more than anything else in her life. It almost sickened her to think of how she had been acting all this time. Sitting back, never doing anything until she was told to do so. Watching as occurrences happened around her, which she hated and went against all of her beliefs, and not saying a thing to stop them. Letting people get hurt because of her own misgivings.

Because there was something she could have done about it. Kiken had tried to push away her abilities for so long, almost hoping that if she acted as if they didn't exist, they would go away. That even though Seifu was forcing her to use them—even though she had done what she had that day back during the war—that they weren't truly hers. She hadn't seen that it was her abilities, in fact, that gave her the means with which to fight back against what she considered wrong. To fight for what she believed in.

To protect someone.

The more she ignored them, the more she allowed those she cared about to get hurt, when she had the edge over everyone. Seifu had said her power was incredible; Pein had been looking for the power inside of her—though he hadn't known it was hers to begin with. Why shouldn't she use it to protect them when she knew she was stronger than a lot of people out there were? There were always exceptions, true, but if Kiken continued on the way she was going, she knew she'd regret it for the rest of her life, having not tried as hard as she could; to the best of her abilities, to protect those around her.

For the first time in her life, Kiken knew she could use her abilities for a _good_ reason, and she couldn't just dismiss that. Not when Itachi's life came into the balance—after she'd heard all he had said and knew she had gotten it all wrong. Now things were different. It wasn't the time to sit back and allow things to go on without her influence. No; this time she could make a difference. It was time to act, and clenching her fists, she fully turned to face Seifu's son, staring fiercely over at him.

At the look on Kiken's face, however, and everyone halted slightly, unsure what to do. Kiken was always quite reserved in her ways; though she didn't shy away from talking to people when she was asked something, she was quiet and subdued. But abruptly she was showing this sudden change. She looked like she wasn't about to sit back and take a backseat in all of this, and she was ready to fight. The Akatsuki weren't worried about this—they all knew Kiken cared for Itachi; and after what had just happened to him, she wasn't about to start attacking all of them.

Seifu's son, however, was another matter entirely.

Swallowing hard, he narrowed his eyes at Kiken, wondering what was going on. She was under his control; when he had put her in the cell she had looked so downcast and submissive that he knew without a doubt she wasn't about to break free. That thought was still there now; she wouldn't be ready to go against him—but that didn't mean a worry hadn't crept into his head. The idea that she would do what he wanted was waning slightly, and he was starting to contemplate running while he still could. But he knew for definite that his plans were ruined when Kiken now stated firmly and determinedly,

"No. I've had enough."


	28. Chapter 28

The entire prison room was silent; nothing from the outside could be heard, and not even anyone's breathing within the room upset the silence caused by Kiken's words. She was acting so much more confident about herself; about her abilities, but because of this change, even though the Akatsuki were happy with it, they weren't certain as to how they should act. It seemed better to remain where they were; to remain silent—the idea of Kiken losing it with the look on her face wasn't one they wanted to entertain, considering she had ended the war all on her own.

But she didn't need anyone's help; not now. Kiken was going to finish this herself, and she was going to do it right, continuing with her voice echoing against the walls,

"I'm not taking any of this sitting down anymore. I lost control of my powers during the war that day, and I lost everything with it. But there isn't a chance of me getting consumed by my power again; because that's what it is: _mine." _Kiken never moved her gaze from Seifu's son as she spoke, her voice unwavering as she continued calmly,

"I'm the one who _everyone_ wanted to fight for them, but I _always_ ended up being the victim; and I'm tired of it happening. I won't let the past repeat itself; and I won't let you take away the friendships I have; the ones I've made."

With that final statement, Kiken began to move once more.

Seifu's son didn't even have a chance to take in the situation.

A moment later and the bars that had kept her apart from the fight were sprawled over the room, everyone having to dodge out of the way as they lodged themselves halfway through the walls, breaking through other cells as they did so. The Akatsuki found themselves absentmindedly shuffling backwards towards the exit without noticing it in the slightest. There were a lot of them down there, after all, and if Kiken was going to lose her temper, they'd need a little bit more space in order to get away unscathed.

But it was clear Kiken knew what she was doing; she stepped forward out of the remains of her cell and towards Seifu's son, who was so frozen by fear and shock he couldn't move, speak or do anything at all. Kiken didn't need him to, however, and her fists clenched once more, she said, her voice low and dangerous,

"Your father started all of this; a war that no one wanted because of some stupid idea that had come about—and forced me into it, putting me on the front line. Because of him, there will be problems in my life that will never go away. And to top it off, you wanted to carry his dream on. What glory would you get from taking over a small valley that houses no ninjas or any influence on the outside world? None. In the same way as your father, it was merely pure selfishness and greed."

Suddenly something flickered in the air, the hair standing up on the backs of everyone's neck as they realised what it was. Kiken's chakra was beginning to burst into life within her body, and with the strength of it, they could feel it in the air; in the atmosphere. Raising an eyebrow in admiration, Pein let her be, knowing she wasn't about to lose control this time, and merely continued watching with an impressed smirk on his face as Kiken fell automatically into a fighting stance, growling finally,

"But I've built my life back up after this; I spent so long trying to move on—and there's no way I'm letting you stop it now. This might have been your master plan; but I can't let you destroy mine."

No one was quite sure what happened afterwards, it occurred so quickly. There were several explosions, some of which the Akatsuki had to dodge out of the way from, before light cut through the darkness that had engulfed the prison. Looking around, they gaped at the realisation that half the house was practically missing, having been destroyed in the process of Kiken's anger, though they blinked in surprise at Seifu's son still sitting there. It was clear, however, she wasn't done yet, and stepping over to him, she narrowed her eyes as their gazes met, only for Seifu's son to drop to his knees, clutching at his head.

Amazed at what she had done without having to lift a finger, even Kiken was surprised as he suddenly reached for a kunai, and without warning, plunged it into his own body, killing himself. Staring at him in shock, Kiken said nothing for a moment, until Hidan finally gathered the courage to question quietly as to what she had done, only to widen his eyes in shock as she murmured thoughtfully,

"I showed him my memories; made him sort of live my life in a few seconds."

"Not many people could have dealt with it like you've done, Kiken." An abrupt, soft voice came from the shadows of the remaining part of the building.

Freezing in shock, Kiken turned and hurried over, only for Itachi to step forward and meet her as she did so. For a moment they merely stared at each other, happy that both of them were alive and still thinking about the conversation they had had merely a few minutes ago. The Akatsuki left them to it, rolling their eyes as they smiled softly at each other, until Kiken remembered what had happened to him and burst out,

"But are you okay, Itachi?"

"I'm fine, Kiken. A little bruised from the impact, maybe, but nothing serious in the slightest." He responded with a shake of his head, and once again they fell into silence, unsure how to go on from there. How could they begin to explain what had just gone on? Did they even truly know themselves?

Then luckily enough, Pein took over for them, and walking over, he nodded at Itachi and faced Kiken, the smirk that had appeared during the fight still there, though not as prominently. Narrowing her eyes at what he wanted, Kiken waited until he spoke up first, relaxing as he did so at the information she had been wanting to hear,

"Kiken—I know everything started off wrong, I'll admit it. But now we know the truth. So would you care to join the Akatsuki?"

This time Kiken wasn't frightened at how it would all turn out. She knew the Akatsuki didn't want to use her as a weapon, but merely introduce her as a new member, and the idea of having somewhere to work and orders to follow that were so much more lenient and fair than before wasn't one she was going to pass up. As such she nodded quickly to his question, not wanting him to think she was uncertain, and blinked in surprise as the rest of the Akatsuki abruptly rushed over, grinning at the idea.

Pein began to tell her about the kind of missions she would be doing, the partnerships and everything else. Explaining she would receive a cloak and hat once everything got back to normal, she started to be lead off towards the hideout, several of them getting into a conversation as to who she was going to be partnered with as they walked off. Her injuries, too, needed to be dealt with, and Pein wanted her back to her normal health as soon as possible. And though she wanted to talk to Itachi, all she could do was glance back and see him lagging at the back of the group, though he looked up and met her gaze as she did so, smirking softly.

Hopefully she'd get the chance to speak to him later.


	29. Chapter 29

Upon arriving at the hideout, Kiken was handed to Konan as she took her to her room, getting out medical supplies in order to bandage up the wounds she had gathered over the course of the day. The cuts and slashes from where the trees had cut her as she ran weren't too bad, and although there were a few bruises and her hands were a little sore from the manacles that had been around her wrists, her injuries weren't too bad, and it wasn't long before Konan left her.

From there Kiken collected the spare clothes she had taken with her, knowing she'd have to get some new ones to replace the ones that had been ripped. Sighing inwardly at this, she then quickly changed into them, looking around her at her room, which she now knew would be a permanent thing; well, in this hideout anyway. After so long wandering around not knowing where she belong, Kiken couldn't help but sigh out loud, thinking over everything and feeling more at home than she had ever done in her life. This was where she belonged. She knew it.

Then abruptly the fact that she would be working with Itachi popped up into her head, and she knew she had to talk to him. Standing quickly, she headed to the door and exited her room, beginning to walk to the lounge. Though for a moment she paused, unsure how to go about starting the conversation, she shook it off, knowing she could think of it once she had gotten there. Kiken wasn't about to talk through it all with the others in the room—she was going to ask Itachi to head somewhere else. Somewhere _private_.

Though being alone with Itachi _now_ seemed a little more nerve-wracking than before…

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Kiken glanced up as she finally reached the lounge, and nodding in greeting at Sasori as he passed through the doorway, she slid past him and went in herself, picking out Itachi immediately. Steeling herself, she began to walk over to him, pushing away her increasing heartbeat and butterflies in her stomach, knowing she _had_ to do this. There wasn't a choice in this; it was something she _had_ to do, no matter what.

Until, of course, Pein appeared in front of her, asking her to come with him to get her cloak.

Gritting her teeth, Kiken contemplated saying she needed a little time to get used to everything first before she got her cloak; that she had things she wanted to take care of first. Maybe mentioning her injuries would allow him to let Kiken speak to Itachi first—or maybe even just stating the truth—but looking over at Itachi, she saw he had gotten up and left the room, and cursing mentally, she gave in.

Nodding, she didn't bother to protest anymore and followed him as he headed off towards his room. Whatever it was; fate, luck, destiny….it didn't exactly seem to be on her side at the moment, and Kiken was starting to think that she'd never get a chance to talk to Itachi. That someone would always be there wanting her to do something; either that or Itachi would have something to do—he would be busy, on a mission or something. Then by that time, it would be too late to do a thing; to speak about what had gone on. Kiken wanted to know desperately what had happened, and how things would continue—how Itachi felt, and whether it was the same as her—but what if everything tried to make it otherwise?

Reaching Pein's room, he let Kiken inside, and after closing the door behind him, he went into the corner and flicked through something over there. She merely stood in the middle of the room, unsure where to stand or how to act considering she was in her leader's room, waiting for when he was ready. Eventually, a few minutes later, he had uncovered what he was looking for, as he moved back and came back over to her. It was at this point that Kiken saw what it was he held; her new cloak, a little smaller than some of the others considering her size as he unfolded it and held it out for her to take.

Her resolve to want to talk to Itachi and the disappointment that she might miss the chance flickered as she saw it there, and for a second she stared at it, the full realisation that she was now in the Akatsuki finally hitting her. Pein smirked at her reaction, holding it out as he took a step towards her, and it was then that she took it from his hands. A smile of her own came over her face as she did so, running her fingers over the fabric, and then slipping her arms into the sleeves, buttoning it up and looking over it proudly.

Nodding in acceptance of this fact, Pein dismissed her, and thanking him a few times, Kiken then left, contemplating going to find Itachi again, but soon deciding against it. She'd missed her chance. Itachi hadn't appeared to make any effort to find her, so Kiken gathered she'd never hear what he had been trying to say in the prison, and sighing, she pushed away the idea of going to the lounge, instead heading straight to her room. She wasn't in the mood to show off her new cloak anymore. She just felt like she needed to be alone. At least that way she might be able to comfort herself with the fact she would still be friends with him—she would still be working with him.

Not that it would work.

Itachi himself wasn't feeling so great. They'd just carried her off, and Kiken would be too busy adjusting to this new life of working and living with the Akatsuki that he wouldn't get a chance to talk to her for days, probably. With the rules needed to be told to her, how things were going to work, possibly training a little with some of the others and everyone just wanting to welcome her into the organization…by the time it was all over, she would have forgotten about what he had been trying to say altogether. The moment would have gone, and as such he sat in the corner of the lounge, watching everyone talk and discuss what Kiken had done back at the mansion, not including himself in the conversation, merely keeping to himself. It was only as they began to talk to him that he came back to reality.

"It makes sense you'd be able to help her out, though, Itachi. You're a lot alike, when it comes down to it, and you get on well. You kinda understand each other." Kisame stated casually as they mentioned Itachi having gone down to speak to Kiken first. Itachi simply shrugged in reply, not wanting to think about it, and started disappearing back into his stupor; but Pein arrived before he could fully do so.

Sensing how he was feeling, and knowing he was frustrated and troubled at not having been able to speak to Kiken since the battle was over, Pein smirked slightly. He knew their conversation hadn't been finished back then; when they had arrived, along with Seifu's son; his mouth had been open as he had tried to say something to Kiken. It was the reason why his attitude had changed so suddenly as he confronted Seifu. Things, of course, hadn't got any better as he had taken her away to explain the organization.

But Pein had seen a similar mood in Kiken herself.

"I've given Kiken her cloak, Itachi-san. And explained all the rules and what she will be doing," he began, causing Itachi to frown at why Pein was telling him this when he had shown no signs of going to talk to her. But he remained silent afterwards as Pein then quickly continued on,

"I think she might have wanted to talk to you, but decided against it and headed to her room. But…maybe it would be better if you instigated the conversation. She's free now; no one is getting in the way."

With that, he turned and dissipated from the room, leaving Itachi sitting there staring at the space where he had been. Pein was right. He couldn't just sit and mope about the chance to speak to her having passed. All that had happened between them would still be there; what was inside his head would still be there. Whispering a thank you to Pein, regardless of whether he could hear it or not, Itachi stood and headed down the corridor to Kiken's room.

He knew what he had to do now.


	30. Chapter 30

Kiken's room was barely a few seconds down the corridor, but to Itachi it felt like a lifetime.

His steps seemed to slow as he walked, wondering how he would start the conversation—how he would put himself across that wouldn't make him look like a fool. Explaining what was in his head was hard enough to do to himself, let alone the one person he truly wanted to tell. But he had to say it; there was no choice in the matter for Itachi now. It was do or die and he wasn't about to turn around and forget about it. He couldn't. Not now. He forced himself onwards, thinking of what Pein had said. She was free now. No one was getting in the way, and he had the time to speak to her. He knew Kiken. He'd be fine.

And then he reached her room.

Immediately halting, Itachi stared down at her door handle, almost hoping it would turn by itself, allowing him in—or at least Kiken herself would come to the door and welcome him inside. That way it would be a little easier on him. But even that he couldn't do. Kiken had gone to her room because she thought things were too late, and obviously she wasn't going to suddenly appear after having changed her mind. It was down to him, and him alone, and gritting his teeth, closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath to gather his courage. Of all the things he'd done in his life, and this was affecting him the most.

But it wasn't like a battle. A battle he could analyse the advantages and disadvantages of everything. He could take into account the landscape around him and anything in the surroundings that could help or hinder him. Opponents could be observed for a few minutes, gathering what were their strengths and weaknesses, what jutsus they liked to use and what their chakra nature was. Someone's feelings were a whole different matter, however. They weren't as predictable as battle situations, or many things in life. Sometimes it was hard to tell if they felt a certain way—especially when your own feelings were taken into account. And that wasn't exactly something Itachi dealt with normally.

There was only one way to find out, though.

Forcing himself to continue, Itachi knocked softly on the door, waiting a moment before he finally heard a word of consent for him to enter. Kiken had given up on the idea of getting to talk to Itachi, so she was more surprised than she thought she would have been as she turned round as he came in. Freezing for a moment, she managed to raise herself off her bed slowly without revealing what she felt inside, nodding and greeting him quietly as she did so, waiting for Itachi to make the next move. Kiken wasn't exactly in the mindset to begin a conversation—let alone one she was hoping that would arise.

Itachi wasn't sure whether he was either, but he couldn't hold back now he'd got this far, and glancing down for a moment, he looked back up only to find himself pausing another time at the look in her eyes. They caught him in the same way they had done the very first time he had looked into them, and abruptly he felt calmer; more ready to do what he knew what he had to do. That overwhelming beauty he saw in Kiken's eyes; her face, and he no longer felt nervous. No longer felt worried about what might happen. Any plan for what he might say fell from his mind, and he knew he would just say what he felt.

"We never got to finish our conversation in the prison, Kiken…" He finally began softly, and feeling themselves relaxed, it allowed him to continue placidly,

"And I feel I should. I _need_ to finish it."

Suddenly hope flared up inside of Kiken, and her heartbeat increased to a level she was sure she hadn't experienced since the day the war ended; it was almost unnatural. This time, however, it was a good thing. A feeling of happiness was sweeping over her—a feeling that Kiken had never known. Back then she hadn't known, but now she could understand. People had always said she didn't know what she was missing, but having never truly had it, it hadn't bothered her. Now, however, and she realised just how amazing it was, and all she could focus on was Itachi's eyes. They were as intense and deep as always, but there was something different about them this time.

Kiken could see a feeling of care surfacing within them.

Neither Kiken nor Itachi had someone to care for—at least, not in _that_ way. Now things were changing, and Kiken couldn't stop a soft, sweet smile flickering onto her face. She had never known who she really was; had never had a chance to discover her true self. But standing in front of Itachi at this moment, she was starting to realise that with his help, she was beginning to find it. Itachi felt himself relaxing more than he even had done for as long as he could remember as her smile appeared, especially as she responded quietly,

"I know. I—I wanted to finish it too. It was just with everything going on, I never got the chance. They were all taking me away for so many different reasons…I didn't know if I was going to get the chance to talk to you anymore. I should have come to find you.

"No; I felt the same at first, but when Leader-sama said no one needed you anymore for anything Akatsuki related…I knew I had to take the chance." Itachi instantly replied, glancing away and back again before deciding to just say it, and went on, his voice becoming serene as he did so,

"What I wanted to say back there, Kiken—what I was _trying_ to say…was that I love you."

After having lived her life with people treating her like an object; a weapon, and nothing else, the rest staying away from her out of fear, it was such a shock to hear it. In the end Kiken had given up with trying to get close to people; always afraid and wary of what might happen if she did get close. But Itachi had disproved all of her earlier opinions; he had broken down the barriers she put around herself to protect her…and yet she didn't care. He'd proved that not everyone was like Kiken had been expecting. That some out there were alright.

That someone could love her.

Overwhelmed with emotion, a single tear rolled down her face, though her smile remained, causing Itachi to now walk over to her. Looking up into his face, he reached forward and gently wiped it away from her face, a tender smile coming across his own mouth as he did so, chuckling quietly as he breathed,

"I'd tell you not to cry, but I get the feeling it's not through sadness."

Unable to say a word in return, Kiken merely shook her head in agreement, placing her hands up against his chest; upon feeling his body heat, though, as well as the feeling of his strong, muscled chest beneath her hands, she leant her head against his chest, sighing in happiness. But Itachi wasn't quite finished yet, as although his right hand slid across Kiken's back for a moment, slowly stroking her, he abruptly removed it to tip her face upwards until she were looking at him, and without pausing, pressed his lips gently against hers.

Kiken was uncertain what to do at first, but it felt so right her instincts took over, and she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and his went around her waist. Softly and sensually drawing circles over her hips, Kiken buried one hand in his hair and found herself running her hand underneath his cloak and shirt to rub his bare skin and abs, smirking slightly as she heard him grunt in pleasure. A moment later Itachi's tongue flicked across her lips, and almost automatically she opened her mouth, her eyes closed in bliss as he delicately explored within. Managing to hold back the feeling that was beginning to grow in the pit of her stomach, Kiken did nothing as he abruptly moved his lips to her neck, leaving gentle kisses across her skin until he reached her soft spot. But the feeling of pleasure within her rose, and she couldn't help but let out a small moan, and pulling away, blushing, Itachi simply smiled in return, and Kiken's embarrassment slowly faded, especially as he added on afterwards with another small kiss,

"It's okay, Kiken. You never have to go through anyone treating you like that again."

And it was with those words—as Itachi's lips returned to hers and he slowly slipped off his cloak—that Kiken knew the truth.

This was where she belonged.


End file.
